Unintentionally
by marinrivers
Summary: After the Liars graduate from Rosewood and go their separate ways, Hanna and Caleb find themselves in the city that never sleeps, creating a new life for themselves. But what happens when the unexpected throws a wrench in their plans?
1. Chapter 1

And now she's walking around the house with a thermometer under her arm. There has to be _something_ wrong. She's never felt this sick before, and she's used to making herself feel sick. The tiny device beeps, and she quickly removes it to check the temperature. 98.6° _. Normal_.

But there's nothing normal about this. She's been feeling awful all week. At first, she chalked it up to PMS, but PMS wasn't a week long thing; not for her at least. So, it has to be something else.

She puts the milk white temperature teller back into its box and sticks the box back into its place in the medicine cabinet. Her focus briefly drifts toward a different box; an unopened box of U by Kotex that's sitting one shelf before. She starts to wonder when she's going to need that box, but she's interrupted when her breath hitches in her throat and she feels a familiar feeling — one that sends her across the room and forces her to her knees in front of the toilet. For the _fifth_ time today.

She wipes her mouth, stands up, flushes, and steps towards the sink to clean up. Her blonde hair is already pulled back from earlier bouts of nausea, so she goes straight to washing her face. Her skin still feels clammy, but the lukewarm water helps to remedy that. Even though she's already 'formally' washed her face today, she adds some facial scrub. She's been having breakouts all over her face, and she wants to keep them at bay. She's not sure what she would do if her skin wasn't perfect.

Then she starts on her teeth, making a mental note to go out and buy a new toothbrush once this illness passes, just to be sure that it will stay gone. She doesn't want to fight it again if she doesn't have to.

Her phone rings and Caleb's face flashes on the screen. She has her favourite picture of him set as his contact photo. Other than her mother, he's the only contact in her phone that actually _has_ one. It doesn't mean she doesn't care about the others (though there are a few people in her contacts that she doesn't really care for); they're just the most important. She clears her throat and answers, trying her hardest not to sound as groggy as she feels.

"Hey you."

 _"Han, where are you?"_

"The apartment. Why?"

 _"It's date night. I thought you were going to meet me at Joanne's?"_

She's silent for a moment. She can vaguely remember discussing this with him earlier, but she can't remember all of the details right now. She's so **tired**.

"Can we stay in tonight, babe? I'm not feeling too hot."

 _"You're always hot, Han."_

"No, not that kind of– Nevermind. Can we just order a pizza?"

 _"Uh, yeah. Sure. Alright. Do you want your usual?"_

Hanna nods, despite the fact that he can't see the gesture.

"Yes please. See you in a few?"

 _"Of course. I love you."_

"I love you too."

She hangs up the phone and sticks it into the left pocket of her grey sweatpants, turning back towards the mirror and twirling a couple of loose strands around her fingers. She can see the medicine cabinet in its reflection, and starts to think back to what she was thinking about before she got sick, but she soon realizes she can't remember what that was.

So, she leaves the bathroom and sprawls herself across the couch.

* * *

She's awakened with kisses all over her face and neck. _When had she fallen asleep_?

Caleb gestures for her to lift her legs so that he can sit, and she does, resting them across his lap once he's seated. He rubs them gently.

"Are you feeling any better, baby?" he asks, concern both in his tone and his expression. _He doesn't like it when she's sick._

Hanna shakes her head. "Not really." Now that she's awake again, the nausea is back, though she doubts she's going to puke again. She hasn't eaten since lunch.

Caleb raises an eyebrow. "Do you wanna tell me what's wrong?" he prompts. If there's anything he can do, he wants to know. _He doesn't like it when she's sick._

Hanna shrugs. "I threw up today." She can see Caleb's expression change from worried to something a bit more — fatherly, so she quickly adds, "Unintentionally." It's the truth, and she's not looking to be lectured tonight.

The male's expression goes back to its worried form. "Do you have a fever?" he asks, putting a cool hand on her neck to see if it feels any warmer than usual. It doesn't, and now he's confused. There's silence for a moment. "What else is wrong?" he asks, pulling out his phone so that he can plug them into Google. Google diagnoses aren't always accurate, but it's worth a shot.

Hanna starts to list her symptoms, cheeks turning red out of embarrassment for some of them. The only other sound in the room is the sound of the keyboard on Caleb's phone. He looks up at her blankly, and she's sure he saw something he didn't want to see. "I'm dying, aren't I?" she asked, dragging her palm across her forehead, in exasperation.

He shakes his head. "Han, could you be... Pregnant?" He hands her his phone so that she can look for herself, and she immediately starts to sob. This isn't something she wants. At least, not now.

Caleb takes her hand and rubs his thumb over the back of it. "Hey, it's just Google. It's probably wrong anyway. We'll take you to the doctor's tomorrow to see what's really going on, alright?"

The blonde nods in agreement, swinging her legs off of his lap and adjusting her position so that her head is leaning on his shoulder and her feet are facing the direction the top of her head used to be. "Alright," she whispers, before nodding off again against his body.

* * *

 _ **Author's note:** So, I've decided to leave the diagnosis until the next chapter so that I would remember to update, but let me know what you think of the story so far! I've had something like this in mind for a while._


	2. Chapter 2

It's the morning of her doctor's appointment and Hanna is shaking. She quivers first thing in the morning as she pulls the blankets off of herself, and a few minutes later in the shower, and as she's getting dressed. The tremor continues as she tries to put on some mascara and lip gloss (which was the bare minimum in her eyes), and as she sits on the bench outside of the apartment building, waiting for Caleb.

All she can think about is how much she doesn't want a child right now. Her opinions of parenthood have come a long way since she was a sixteen year old in Rosewood, but she hasn't. She would prefer to get her career started first, and _then_ think about children. Her thoughts are interrupted by the sound of footsteps. Caleb's footsteps. She grins at him, and him at her, and he offers her his hand to help her up.

"I was thinking we could get something to eat after your appointment," he begins as they begin to walk towards their destination (the doctor's office was only about a block away). "Baby or not, you've still gotta eat." Hanna pauses for a moment, and then continues along the sidewalk. "Sounds good," she finally replies, very curtly. She doesn't mean to be so rude to him. She just doesn't want to think about the possibilities. Caleb holds her hand just a little bit tighter.

When they reach the office, she lets go of his hand. "Maybe we shouldn't." Anxiety is gnawing away at her like a dog would a new bone. Caleb can tell, and he places a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's just a test, Han. You've been through worse."

Hanna sighs and nods and starts up the stairs. Caleb follows her. He's nervous about this too, but he would never tell her that. Not now, at least.

Fifteen minutes into their waiting room stay, a nurse calls Hanna into the examination room. She looks at Caleb with fear-filled blue optics, and he looks back at her with soothing coffee ones and a soft smile. They get up together, and head to the back. Hanna keeps close to him; close enough for her to speak to them as the nurse leads them to the room.

"How are you so calm?"

 _"We don't know anything yet."_

"But that's the thing... We **don't** know anything yet."

 _"Han, it doesn't make any sense to stress over something you're not even sure is true."_

Caleb was one to talk. When Hanna and the other girls returned from the dollhouse, his stress levels went through the roof. He was constantly worried that something horrible would happen to her, and that he wouldn't be able to save her.

"That makes it all the more stressful."

They reach the room and the nurse explains the procedure. Once she's done, she hands Hanna a plastic cup and sends her off to put it to use, and tells Caleb to get comfortable. Once the nurse is gone, Caleb rests his head against the wall and closes his eyes for a few minutes.

His coffee brown eyes open again when he hears someone enter the room; Hanna. The blonde sighs and takes a seat on the long examination table. There's silence in the room for a bit; awkward silence.

Caleb straightens up and moves towards her, taking her hand once he's close enough. "You don't need to worry, Hanna," he assures, running his thumb over the back of her hand.

"I'm not worried. It's just— We can't have a kid now, Caleb."

 _"Why not? I mean... It's not like we're not financially stable. I have a good job, and—"_

" _You_ do. I kind of wanted to make something of myself first. The fashion world is demanding, and I'm never gonna make it if—"

Hanna ceases to speak and the two direct their attention towards the doctor, who stands in the doorway. Neither of them are sure how long he's been there, but they both hope he hadn't heard their entire conversation.

The doctor clears his throat, and then looks down at his clipboard. "Congratulations, Miss Marin. You're pregnant." There's some uncertainty in his voice, as if he's unsure of how to break the news. Caleb sighs and looks at Hanna. Hanna runs toward the garbage can to puke.

* * *

"Alright, now we can panic," Caleb says as he holds the diner door open for Hanna. Hanna's still mystified, and hardly even thanks him as she steps into the building. The diner is relatively busy, but they still manage to find a booth in the back. Hanna slides in on one side, and Caleb slides in on another. "You know, they have really good chee—"

"I've had one before."

 _"Alright... Do you maybe wanna share some fries."_

Hanna shakes her head at him, pouting.

 _"Hanna, you have to eat something. It's not good for the_ —"

The blonde raises a hand, and he immediately stops speaking. "Baby. I know. You don't have to bring up the baby every five minutes, Caleb. I know it's there." She sighs. She knows he's only trying to helpful and supportive, but she wants some time to think.

"I don't have much of an appetite anyway. I'm too nauseous."

 _"Alright... But I'm still getting fries. You're free to have some if you want."_

Hanna nods and takes out her phone.

 _"Texting your mom?"_

"Playing Candy Crush."

He reaches across the table and taps the power button at the top of the phone. Hanna raises her eyebrows in protest. "Rude!"

 _"I wanna talk to you."_

"About what?"

 _"Us. We have a lot to think about, and—"_

"And it can wait until we get home. Caleb, I don't wanna think too much into things right now. I'm sorry."

He frowns, but nods in agreement. "Then maybe we can talk about something else. Have you heard from Spencer lately?"

"Yeah. Last I heard, she took her LSAT. She's really getting her life together... Not that it wasn't already together." The blonde sighs. Thinking about all the progress her friend was making didn't do much to make her feel better. "Have you heard from Toby?"

Caleb nodded. _"He's still in Rosewood. Still a police officer. I heard he came across some big money though."_

Hanna sighs again, rubbing her eyes. She's tired of talking about her friends. "Can we go home, please?"

Caleb's brow furrows. "Are you sure?" Hanna nods. She's ready for a nap, or at least to lay down and stop thinking about her life.

 _"Alright, we can go home."_

* * *

 _ **Author's note:** Sorry for taking so long to update this! I got carried away with school, but I have a huge break coming up, so you can probably expect another update or two within the next 2-3 weeks. What do you guys think of the story so far, though? I'm trying not to focus too much on what's canon for 6b, because from what I can tell, it's gonna be a mess, and I hope that's alright._


	3. Chapter 3

" _You don't have to get me anything_."

Every year, Caleb insists on this, and every year, Hanna gets him something anyway. Last year, it was a new software that he was raving about. This year, it's something much more meaningful.

Despite Caleb's best efforts, they haven't really spoken about the results of the pregnancy test. It's not that Hanna doesn't want to, because she _does_. It's that she doesn't know how to. But she'll put that aside for today and try her best, because she knows it's something she wants, and every deserves to have at least _something_ they want on Christmas.

He's up earlier than usual this morning. By now, he knows what time Hanna's morning sickness usually hits, and he wants to surprise her with breakfast afterwards. He kisses her cheek and slips out from under the covers, and then heads to the kitchen to get started.

She's awake exactly five minutes later, nauseated as she always is at eight in the morning, and running to the toilet to vomit.

And once she's done, she rinses her mouth out and heads to the kitchen to find Caleb with an apron covering his plaid pajama bottoms and a full plate in each hand.

"What's this?" she asks curiously, moving even further into the room.

" _Christmas breakfast_ ," he replies, setting the plates down on the table. " _I hope you're hungry_."

"Caleb, you shouldn't have." She doesn't have a huge appetite right now, but she takes a seat at the table anyway. The food looks good, and she appreciates the effort.

" _Can't I cook my favourite girl breakfast on Christmas_?" He sits down across from her and starts cutting his pancakes. She does the same, but pauses and sets her silverware down.

He notices and pauses as well. " _Everything alright_?"

She nods. "Of course! I just... wanted to talk to you about something."

His brow is arched now, and he's leaning in a bit more. She takes the cue and continues. " _Our_ thing."

He looks confused, so she adds, "Our _baby_."

At that, Caleb's facial expression changes drastically. Now, he looks much more understanding. Happier, even. Just as Hanna had hoped.

" _What about it_?"

"I've been thinking a lot about it lately... And even though this isn't what I had in mind..." She trails off, but she's smiling now, and so is he. "I think we should keep it."

" _Really_?" She nods. "Really. I'm starting to like the idea of having a mini-us running around."

" _Well, that'll make what I'm about to do much easier_." And now **Hanna** looks confused, and Caleb's **still** smiling, and reaching into his pajama pants pocket, and getting down on one knee.

At least, that's what Hanna would've liked to happen.

* * *

They're on their way to Rosewood to spend Christmas with Ashley and Pastor Ted. Caleb's at the wheel, and Hanna's curled up in the backseat with saltines and ginger ale within an arm's reach and her hand resting on her stomach.

Every now and then, Caleb will look over his shoulder to check on her, and she'll close her eyes and act like she's asleep. She wants to talk to him now, but she wants to save the discussion she has in mind for later. It'll be better that way.

But he catches her awake once, and her cover is blown. " _You feeling alright_?"

She shakes her head. "I'm still really nauseous."

Caleb's eyes are back on the road, but he his a sympathetic look on his face anyway. " _We're almost there. Just twenty more minutes_."

Hanna smiles at that and closes her eyes again. "Good." And she pretends to drift off again, even though she's actually listening to him hum along to the radio.

" _I think we should tell your mom and Ted today_." She sits up for the first time since they started driving. "What?"

He repeats himself. She agrees, but she has to play the part. "We aren't telling anyone today."

" _Hanna, you're moody, you cry when people hug you, the smell of seafood makes you puke, and you're practically **glued** to that box of saltines. If we don't tell them, they're gonna find out anyway_."

She sighs. All of what he's saying is true, but she doesn't want to ruin the surprise. "Can we **_at least_** wait until the first trimester is over? Besides, I'm not even sure if I want to keep it."

" _Well, how am I supposed to know that, Han? Every time I try to talk about it with you, you change the subject._ "

Again, true. "I'm going back to sleep. Wake me up when we get there."

" _There you go again._ "

"I can't hear you. I'm too busy sleeping."

" _Alright, fine. Whatever._ "

* * *

They pull up to the Marin house about fifteen minutes later. Before Caleb can even turn off the car, Hanna's already out and at the door. That's the fastest Caleb's seen her move all month.

He gets the bags out of the trunk and heads up the walkway to the front steps, where Hanna and Ashley are waiting for him. The two women are already starting to catch up, and Ashley's going on about something she heard about what's left of the DiLaurentis family.

" _Ashley_ ," the male greets, setting down one of the bags, freeing his arm so he could wrap it around Ashley's shoulders. Hanna disappears into the house, presumably to go see what her mother and the pastor are cooking for the evening. Caleb notices and follows her, shooting the old woman an apologetic look on his way in. He's obviously over their little spat in the car.

Ted's in the kitchen waiting for them, chopping vegetables and tending to whatever's cooking on the stove. "Can I get you guys anything?" the man asks, setting down the knife and wiping his hands on a kitchen towel. By now, Ashley's joined them in the kitchen, and is checking on the ham that's cooking in the oven. Caleb looks at Hanna, who shakes her head. "No thanks." She pulls the box of saltines out of her purse and shakes it once for emphasis.

That's enough to catch Ashley's attention. Her daughter's never been one to turn down food. "You feeling alright?" Hanna nods. "I'm saving room for dinner." And cue the disapproving look from Caleb.

" _We should get settled..._ " he says, changing the subject. Hanna nods. "And I could use a nap. We can catch up some more later, right?" Ashley and Ted exchange confused glances, but Ashley agrees. "Dinner should be done in about two hours... I was hoping we could watch your favourite Christmas movies in the meantime, but we can do that after dinner as well."

Hanna nods again. "Of course!" Caleb picks up the bag again, following Hanna's lead as they head up the steps to her old room.

Once they're inside and the door is closed, the car conversation resumes. " _I really do think we should tell them tonight_."

Hanna crawls into bed, ignoring his words. He follows suit, setting the bags down at the foot of the bed first.

" _Han_."

"I'm not telling them anything today."

" _They're gonna find out eventually. Did you see the look your mom gave you?_ "

"Not today."

He tries to wrap his arms around her, but she pushes him away. " _What's your problem?_ "

"You keep pushing this, even though you **know** I don't want to talk about it."

" _You can't keep ignoring this! The longer we put this off—_ "

"Caleb, drop it. I'm going back to sleep."

That's the last straw for Caleb. He's running out of patience quickly, and needs to get away before he says something he'll regret.

" _I'm going out. Tell Ashley and Ted not to wait up._ "

"Babe—"

" _See you later, Hanna_." And he's out the door. Hanna lays back on the bed with her hands over her face. If she's really quiet, which she is, she can hear Caleb plodding down the stairs, opening and closing the front door, and tearing out of the driveway.

* * *

Two hours have passed, and Ashley, Hanna, and Ted are sitting around the table, waiting. Ted's already blessed the food... twice, and Ashley's giving Hanna the third degree about Caleb's whereabouts.

All Hanna can do is shrug and say that she doesn't know. She really doesn't know.

But Toby knows, and so does Spencer. As of right now, Caleb's spending the holiday with them. He's on his third beer now, despite Spencer's warning to take it easy, and it probably isn't his last one for the night.

He's already told them about the situation; _everything_ about the situation. The higher the blood-alcohol level, the looser the lips.

Toby's urging him to head back to the Marins'. He realizes he isn't happy with his girlfriend right now, but it's _Christmas_ , and she's carrying his child. Caleb seems to agree, but insists on having another drink before he goes. In the meantime, Spencer's texting Hanna to come get him. She's seen how much the man has already had to drink, and isn't too keen on letting him out on the road.

On the other side of town, the Marins and Pastor Ted are starting to fix their plates. Dinner's starting to get cold, and there's no sign of Caleb, so it only makes sense. Hanna's rather reluctant to take anything. She doesn't have a huge appetite, and she's feeling a bit nauseated anyway. However, to keep up appearances, she helps herself to a few rolls and some ham.

There's a palpable sense of awkwardness in the room. Ashley wants to ask about Caleb, but she knows better. Ted doesn't know enough about Hanna to pull a topic out of thin air. But neither of them want to spend their Christmas dinnertime sitting in silence.

"So, how are things back in New York?" Ted questions, breaking the silence after about five minutes.

Hanna has to think about that for a moment. Other than the obvious, it's been pretty slow. She and Caleb haven't even been on a date since they found out. She doesn't work, so she doesn't have any work-related stories. There's really nothing to say.

"Good," is all she says. Her mother and the pastor look at her expectantly, seeking elaboration. She has none.

"Well, how was the ride here?" Ashley asks, grabbing a roll for herself.

"Not bad. I slept through most of it though."

* * *

A good thirty minutes have passed, and they're out of questions now, so Ashley and Ted start to make conversation with each other, hoping Hanna will find something she can jump in on. But she's not paying attention anymore. She's checking her texts, and once she sees the ones Spencer sent her, she asks to be excused from the table.

Ashley shoots her a questioning glance, and the blonde begins to explain that she's going to pick Caleb up and will need to borrow the car, but is interrupted by the sound of her ringtone.

"Hello?"

"Hello, may I please speak to Miss Hanna Marin?"

Hanna doesn't recognize the voice, so she's a bit hesitant with her response. "This is she."

"Miss Marin, there's been an accident involving a Mr. Caleb Rivers. We need you to come down to the Rosewood Memorial Hospital right away."

"Y-yes. Of course... Thank you."

Ashley and Ted share a worried glance. Hanna looks like she's seen a ghost.

"Is everything alright?" Ashley asks, once Hanna hands up the phone.

Hanna shakes her head, and the frightened expression has yet to leave her face.

"Caleb's been in an accident."

* * *

 _ **Author's note:**_ _I meant to finish this over my winter break, but there was too much going on. Anyway, what do you think of this chapter? I know it's not as long as the other ones, and there was a lot of Haleb angst this time around, but I promise things will get better soon!_


	4. Chapter 4

**This is a continuation of Chapter Three. If you haven't already read it, I would advise you to go back and do so before reading this. It takes place about 6-7 hours before this.**

* * *

They're all in the hospital waiting room: Hanna, Ashley, Ted, Spencer, Toby. All of them. Several nurses have come through, informing families of the status of their loved ones. However, they've received no new information on Caleb. What they _do_ know is that he was in a car accident, and that there was alcohol involved.

Hanna feels sick to her stomach, and it's not because of the baby. She's blaming herself for this, and she feels like everyone else is as well. If she had given up; if she had just given up on her idea of surprising him with her decision, he wouldn't be hurt right now. He never would've gotten in that car to begin with. They would be sitting at her mom's house, watching _How the Grinch Stole Christmas._

Ted hasn't stopped praying since they got there. If he wasn't so afraid to leave the group, he would probably be grovelling at the foot of the chapel altar right now. But he's sitting in one of those uncomfortable plastic chairs, head bowed, offering his trials up to God. Ashley tried to jump in a few times, but she couldn't focus. She was too busy watching Hanna.

Toby's trying his hardest not to fall asleep. He spent the night before protecting Rosewood from human corruption, and Spencer had woken him up fairly early this morning to watch a parade. She's sitting beside him now, and elbowing him every time he starts to drift off. Hanna's on the other side of her, resting on her shoulder, wetting her sweater with her tears. Spencer doesn't mind all that much. Hanna deserves a good cry.

"He'll be fine," Spencer finally says, causing the rest of the group to look at her, three-fourths incredulously and one quarter hopefully. The hope is from Ted, who's already gone back to praying.

Hanna looks at her, eyes bloodshot from crying. "He will," Spencer says again, trying to reassure the blonde. Cue more sobbing from Hanna. She wants to believe it, but she can't. Ashley pulls Hanna close, shooting Spencer an understanding glance. Spencer notices Toby's fallen asleep, and elbows him again.

Finally, a doctor comes out. The waiting room is virtually empty now, so everyone's hoping whatever news she has will be for them. And it is.

"Mr. Rivers is awake now," she begins, glancing down at the clipboard. Everyone starts to get up, but she quickly continues. "Hospital policy only permits two visitors at a time, for twenty minutes each time, so you'll have to take turns." Everyone's looking at Hanna, as if they're expecting her to go first. She shakes her head. She isn't quite ready to face him yet.

"Spencer, Toby, would you like to go?" The couple exchanges glances, but reluctantly agrees, getting up and following the doctor towards Caleb's room. Ashley turns to question Hanna, as does Ted. "You didn't want to go first?" Hanna shakes her head. "I don't think I'm ready."

The older Marin wraps her arm around her daughter and pulls her close again. "He's probably dying to see you." More head shaking. "Don't use that word. _Please_." Ashley apologizes and tries again. "Don't you think the first face he would've wanted to see was his girlfriend's?" She has a point, but Hanna's not buying it.

"I'm the reason he left, Mom." Ashley's not surprised to hear that. She saw Caleb storm out, and how upset he looked. She would've stopped him if he wasn't moving so quickly. "You never told me what happened." Hanna opens her mouth, ready to explain, when she sees Spencer and Toby coming back from the room.

As soon as they're close enough, Spencer says, "He's asking for you. Room 115." Hanna looks at her friend for a moment, and then at Toby, and then at her mother and Ted, and then back at Spencer. "I'll go." She gets up and starts toward the hospital room, hoping for the best, but expecting the worst.

* * *

She lingers in the doorway for a bit. Caleb's head is tilted back, and his eyes are closed. One of his arms is in a sling, and the opposite leg is in a cast. She considers turning back, but he calls to her. " _Han_?"

She takes a few more hesitant steps into the room, but still keeps her distance. "I'm sorry," are the first words to leave her mouth. That's enough to earn her a pained chuckle from Caleb. " _Come here_."

Hanna closes whatever distance is left between them, grasping that isn't attached to an injured arm. Now that she's closer, she can see the cuts that are on his face as well. "I'm so, so, sorry."

He's chucking again, and he still sounds like he's in pain. He _is_ in pain, but it's not as bad now that he's looking at the love of his life. His emotional pain is soothed; now, it's completely physical. "What's so funny?" she asks, cheeks turning red.

" _You keep apologizing. It isn't your fault, Han_." She shakes her head. "It is. If we hadn't argued, you wouldn't have left." He can't deny that, but he refuses to place any of the blame on her. " _I drove drunk. You didn't put those beers in my hand. I did_." And Hanna can't disagree with that. Does that mean they're both in the right?

"But you wouldn't have been driving at all if I had heard you out, and— and done the think I was forcing myself not to do all month."

Caleb's brow would be furrowed right now if he didn't have stitches in the area that separated him.

She takes a deep breath, ready to explain herself. "You wanted to talk about the thing, and so did I."

" _The baby?_"

She nods. "I've been thinking a lot about it lately... And even though this isn't what I had in mind..." She trails off. She's smiling now, and so is he. "I think we should keep it."

" _Really?_ "

"Really. I'm starting to like the idea of having a mini-us running around."

" _So am I._ " He looks like he wants to say something else, but he just shakes his head. "What?" Hanna asks. He just shakes his head; just once, though, because his neck still hurts. " _Nothing_." Hanna doesn't really believe it, but she moves on with the conversation anyway. She'll figure out what it is later, if there is anything to figure out.

" _How are you feeling?_ " And now Hanna's laughing. "You're in a hospital bed with cuts, bruises, and broken bones and you're asking _me_ how _I'm_ feeling?" He just looks at her. She takes the hint and answers his question. "Still nauseous. I think Baby Rivers wants to be sure I won't forget about him."

" _Him? You think it's a boy?_ " Caleb likes the idea of having a miniature version of himself running around, but he's not opposed to having a girl. In fact, he might prefer that. She shakes her head. "No, that's just the first thing that came to mind. I'm not too sure about using Baby Rivers and 'it' in the same sentence."

" _Maybe that's why you're so sick. Baby Rivers doesn't like being called an 'it'._ " He lets go of Hanna's hand so he can touch her tummy. She's a bit surprised at first, but she likes it. "When are they discharging you?" His face falls. " _Not until tomorrow morning._ " Hanna's frowning as well now. "I want to spend at least _some_ of my Christmas with you."

" _Well, the car ride was a good two hours, and we had about ten minutes at your mom's house. And there's now. How long are they letting you stay?_ "

"Fifteen to twenty minutes."

" _That's not enough._ "

"I know. But I'll be here bright and early tomorrow morning to pick you up."

" _I'm looking forward to that. These blankets are itchy._ "

Cue the sympathetic laughter from Hanna. "My mom has better ones to lend us. You'll get first pick when you come home."

" _I like that deal._ "

There's a knock on the door, and Hanna looks up to see the doctor from earlier. "Miss Marin, it's getting late, and Mr. Rivers needs his rest." Hanna pouts at that, but nods, and then leans down to place a kiss on Caleb's lips. " _Goodnight, babe_."

"Night." And she's out, heading back towards the waiting room where Ashley, Ted, Toby, and Spencer are.

The doctor waits for her to leave and pulls the door shut, and then reaches into her lab coat for something. A little black box, which held a shiny diamond ring. "We found these in your jeans pocket. You probably won't be able to wear those pants again, unless you know a really good seamstress but," she sets the box down on the table beside him. "I figured you might want this back."

* * *

 _ **Author's note:** Two chapters in 24 hours! I'm on a roll, huh? As always, let me know what you think of this. I love reading reviews._


	5. Chapter 5

It's their last day in Rosewood before they have to head back to New York, and Hanna and Caleb want to make sure it doesn't go to waste. Right now, they're sitting around a table at their favourite breakfast joint, accompanied by Spencer, Toby, Aria, Emily, and Alison. Hanna's watching Caleb like a hawk to make sure he doesn't need help with anything (he's still incapacitated from the accident), and he's doing the same with her.

"Are you _sure_ you don't want to stay another couple of days?" Emily asks, taking a swig of her orange juice. She's hardly seen the couple since they've been there (or since they left the last time, for that matter). Aria and Alison nod in agreement, looking at the couple intently.

" _I have to get back to work,_ " Caleb replies, shaking his head. "And I only brought a week's worth of clothes," Hanna adds. She's not too keen on starting off the New Year in old clothes. The other girls look disappointed. "You're more than welcome to come back to Manhattan with us though." The last time all five girls were in New York together was the day Alison came back, Ezra got shot, and Shana died, so it would be nice for them to be able to experience it in peace.

Their conversation is interrupted when the waiter comes by with their orders. The sudden influx of smells causes Hanna's stomach to turn, and it becomes pretty clear to the other girls that she doesn't feel well; for one thing, the colour's practically gone from her face. Spencer and Toby (who, other than Caleb, are the only other people who are aware of the true cause) exchange glances.

"You okay?" Aria asks, unwrapping her silverware and resting her napkin on her lap. Hanna nods, looking to Caleb for some help. She doesn't want to break the news to them just yet. It's still really early. He's stumped too, and as soon as she sees that, she's ready to save herself. "It's just a little bit hot in here." One hand is gently rubbing her stomach, and the other is using the laminated cardstock menu to move air towards her face. Another exchange of glances, this time between the three people who are out of the loop.

" _Anyway, as Hanna was saying, we would love for you to come visit us in Manhattan sometime_." Finally, a save from Caleb. "We don't have a ton of room in our apartment, but we'll figure something out."

Hanna's losing the fight to fight back the puke, and in the middle of Caleb's sentence, she finds herself up and running for the bathroom. Spencer gets up to follow her, as does Toby until he realizes what following her entails and sits back down. "Caleb, is she alright?" The question comes from Emily this time. All Caleb does is shrug in response. Hanna told him she wanted to wait, and even though that isn't what _he_ wants, he's going to respect her wishes.

Meanwhile, Spencer's waiting outside the stall for Hanna, wishing she hadn't gotten up right away. She's not too fond of the sound or retching. Eventually, it stopped and the stall door opened to reveal a rather disoriented-looking Hanna emerges. "Feeling better?" Startled, the blonde looks up to see her friend handing her a paper towel. She's hesitant to respond at first, for obvious reasons, but she nods and takes the paper. "Better than ever." That proves to be untrue when she finds herself leaning headfirst over the toilet again. Spencer steps into the tiny cubicle with her to hold her hair, and hopes that no one else they know will walk in and see this.

"Are you _sure_ you're okay?" Hanna sighs and nods. That's technically true; medically speaking, she's perfectly fine. Physically, on the other hand, she feels like she's on the brink of a slow and painful death. "Can I tell you something?" Spencer's released her hair and stepped away at this point, and the blonde is heading towards the sink to rinse out her mouth and wash her hands. The brunette nods, looking as though she doesn't already know what's coming. The time she spent in Rosewood High's Drama Club was definitely paying off now.

"Well, uh—" She doesn't know how to say this. This is the first time she's had to; the only other person who knows (as far as she knows) was in the room when she found out. "Spencer, I—" Spencer's practically ready to wring the words out of her. She already knows, thanks to Caleb's loose lips, but she knows she's not supposed to and isn't interested in causing any friction between them. So, tries her hardest to appear clueless. "Caleb and I— We're having a baby." And there it is. It's out in the open. The words have been uttered for the first time, and there's no taking it back now. But from the look on Spencer's face, Hanna's not sure she would ever want to.

"Congratulations." The blonde finds herself wrapped (or trapped) in Spencer's embrace, squirming to get loose. Her chest is still a little bit sore, so she's not a huge fan of frontal hugs right now. "Can you congratulate me from, like, a foot away?" The embrace ceases and Spencer takes a step back to allow Hanna some space. "Thank you... And thank you. You're actually, uh— One of the firsts to know. Other than Caleb, of course," Not completely true, but Hanna doesn't know that. "Do you think we could keep this between us for like... another month?"

"Of course." Spencer has no problem with keeping Hanna's secret. The problem is with making sure Toby doesn't accidentally say anything. She's sure she doesn't have anything to worry about, but she can't help but think that way.

"Thank you. I don't look like I've been puking, do I?" Hanna's facing the mirror now, inspecting her outfit for any tell-tale stains. "No, you look fine," Spencer replies, examining the clothing as well. "Get back out there, Mama."

* * *

Breakfast's over, and everyone's saying their goodbyes. If Hanna's correct, they've all agreed to meet up again, tonight, to watch the ball drop and ring in the New Year, but she's not certain. Everything sounded like a jumble to her. Caleb pulls her close (at least, as close as he can) and kisses the top of her head. He knows she's had a rough morning so far, and he wants to do everything he can to turn it around. Before he can suggest further plans for the day, she speaks up. "I know it's our last day in Rosewood, but would it be alright if we just went home and relaxed for a few hours?" She still hasn't completely recovered from her bout of nausea during the gathering, and she doesn't want to be out where everyone can see her if she needs to vomit again. That, and she really needs a nap right now.

Caleb nods, getting a proper grip on his crutch and beginning to limp towards the car. Hanna helps him get situated in the passengers side before sliding into the drivers seat. She has no clue how she's going to make it the whole two hours tomorrow; she's not used to driving for long periods of time, and she knows she's gonna have to pull over quite a few times along the way. An extended stay in Rosewood was looking better, and better by the minute. She starts the car and pulls out of the restaurant parking lot, trying to think about anything and everything but the contents of her stomach. Caleb's still trying to find a comfortable position for his leg.

"I told Spencer." Caleb looks over at her inquisitively. Just a week ago, they were in this same car arguing about whether or not they were going to start telling people, and she was against it, so he's right to be surprised. "She handed me a paper towel and held my hair. I couldn't get around it, even if I wanted to." That clears things up a bit. " _Are we waiting to tell the rest of them?_ " She's not even sure about that anymore. She told Spencer not to say anything, but now that it's out there, it doesn't really make much sense to continue to keep it under wraps.

"What do you think?" He wants to. He definitely wants to. And maybe, just maybe, they can do it while he's sober this time. " _We can tell them at the thing tonight._ " Hanna's all up for it. In fact, she's already got an idea of how she's gonna do it. "Tonight it is."

* * *

The first thing she sees is the alcohol. There are at least three open bottles on the coffee table, and she can't pour herself a drink out of any of them. At least Caleb agreed to stay dry with her for the night. They're all sitting in Toby's living room, watching _New Year's Rocking Eve_ and chatting up a storm. It's a wonder they have anything left to talk about after breakfast.

Caleb's good arm is wrapped around Hanna's waist, and she's trying to rest against him comfortably without hurting him. They're both pretty anxious about tonight; the ball is dropping in Times Square, and the proverbial bomb is dropping in Rosewood. They're both anxious about breaking the news tonight; the decision was made pretty hastily, but they agree that it wouldn't hurt to get it over with.

"I'm gonna start pouring the champagne," Toby says, rising from the couch and moving towards the kitchen. Spencer gets up to help him, taking a headcount, noting Hanna, who mouths the word _water_ to her, and gestures toward Caleb as well. The brunette nods and steps into the kitchen to help her boyfriend. Aria, Emily, and Alison are going on about the performance that's happening on the television. Hanna's trying to focus on it as well, but then Caleb brings her even closer to his body, and his thumb grazes her tummy, and her attention is back on him again.

He grins, and presses his lips to her temple. She, in turn, pulls away and presses her lips to his. "You can't wait three more minutes?" Aria shrieks, catching a glace at their affection out of the corner of her eye. She's the only one here without someone to kiss, so she's a little bit prickly. Hanna rolls her eyes at her and turns back to Caleb, who leans back in to kiss her again.

Spencer and Toby come back out with the glasses about a minute later. They pass out the alcoholic beverages first, and the remaining glasses of water to the expectant couple. By the time everyone has their drink and is comfortable, the countdown's started, and there's about thirty seconds left in the year. Thirty seconds until Hanna and Caleb share their secret. _Twenty-nine, twenty-eight..._

Hanna's eyes are shifting between Caleb and the television. She's visibly nervous now. Caleb is, too, but not as explicitly. _Fifteen, fourteen..._

Emily and Alison are holding hands. Aria's checking her phone to see if Ezra's texted her; she doesn't want to be the ex that gets left in the previous year. Spencer's keeping her own countdown on her phone, just to see if the timing on the program is accurate, and Toby's watching the seconds pass. Hanna looks at Caleb again. "Ready?" she whispers. " _If you are._ " _T_ _hree, two, one..._

The jumbled sound of exclamations fills the room. While five people shouted the typical sentiment for the holiday, two announced that they would be having a baby. Naturally, the announcement took precedence. There's silence in the room, with the exception of the noise coming from the television, followed by an even more jumbled series of congratulations and questions.

The room feels much livelier now. To think, people are more excited about a baby than a new year. They hold up their glasses to toast to the new year, and to the new generation. And when that's all said and done and everyone's finished their drinks and gotten the hype out of their system, they all get up to leave. Hanna's the first one out the door, regrettably. She has to drive home, and then back to New York in the morning, so she wants to get as much sleep as possible before she has to hit the road. Everyone gets a hug goodbye; first Aria, then Alison, Emily, Toby, and the biggest one is reserved for Spencer, who promises to come visit them as soon as she gets the chance. Hanna's excited about that. She likes having her friends close; it's one of the things she misses the most about living in Rosewood.

Caleb settles for smiles and kind words. Hanna's the only person who knows how to juggle the crutches and the sling, and he's not trying to worsen any of his injuries tonight. Hanna helps him to the car like she did earlier in the day, and pulls out of the driveway, but she doesn't drive home immediately. She pulls into the nearby woods instead and parks the car. " _Hanna, if you need directions—_ " Caleb begins, only to be cut off by his girlfriend.

"I want my New Year's kiss," she tells him, putting the car in park. She's tired, but this is worth the quick stop.

" _Do you now?_ " She nods, leaning over, running her top teeth against her pink petals. " _How can I say no to you?_ " He quickly closes the space between them, uninjured arm going up to caress her cheek, and then pulls away. " _Happy New Year_."

* * *

 _ **Author's note:**_ _Three chapters in a week? Guess that's what happens when the show comes off of hiatus and your favourite ship is no longer together. I'm not sure if I'll be able to top this rate, but I'll try! Let me know what you think about this chapter though, and thank you for reading._


	6. Chapter 6

Hanna's got her phone cradled between her shoulder and her ear, a bowl in one hand, and a spoon in another as she walks around the kitchen. She's been craving brownies all day, and since the closest bakery is five blocks away, she's decided to take matters into her own hands and bake some herself. Caleb's sitting at the table, typing something on his laptop. He's been out of the sling for two days now, but Hanna insists he take it easy, which is why he isn't helping her right now.

The blonde is humming in response to whoever's on the other end of the conversation is saying. Caleb can tell she's not really listening; that's the same response he gets whenever he starts using technical jargon around her.

But then she pauses. No more "mmhmms", or nodding, or mixing. She's actually listening now, which makes him wonder what's being said.

"That's great! Congratulations." No, it's not great. He can practically see the wheels in her head turning, searching for a way to end the conversation. Like clockwork, she lets go of the wooden spoon she was using to stir, and allows it to hit the tile floor. "Look, I'm gonna have to call you back. Caleb needs help with something. Yeah, bye."

She sets down the mixing bowl and leans down to pick up the spoon, shaking her head at Caleb as she comes back up with it. "Apparently, Aria and Ezra are back together," she tells him, setting the spoon down in the sink and opening one of the drawers to find another one. "Not only that, but they're engaged."

That's enough to raise his eyebrows. If he's remembering correctly, Aria and Ezra weren't even a solid couple a month ago. " _That was fast_."

"Very fast." She grabs the bowl of batter again and continues mixing. "I didn't even know he was back in the picture." That's the problem. She didn't know. She knows all about Aria's editing job and the average amount of books she proofreads per week, but when it comes to important things like this (things she used to be so in tune with), she's out of the loop.

Caleb can tell from her tone of voice that she's not too happy about the news. He's about to confront her about it, but she speaks up before he can. "They're having a little dinner party at his place to celebrate. What are we doing next Saturday?" She sets the bowl down again and starts shuffling through the cabinets for something; the pan she greased and set on the table earlier.

" _Han_ ," he calls, gesturing towards the pan once she turns around. " _I'm pretty sure we're free. You don't have a doctor's appointment that day, do you?_ " She shakes her head, taking the pan and bringing it back over to the cooking area to pour the chocolate batter into it. "I guess we're going back to Rosewood then."

* * *

They're Rosewood bound for the second time in two months. Hanna's in the driver's seat, since Caleb's leg hasn't fully healed yet and his cast is too bulky to drive with. He's tired, but he doesn't want to sleep until they reach the city, just in case she ends up needing him for something. It's only gonna be another ten minutes though. They're making good time.

" _We're going to your mom's first, right?_ " he questions, turning his head to look at her. Her eyes are still focused on the road ahead of them, but she nods. "She's getting my old room ready as we speak."

" _Are we telling her this time?_ " She knows they should, and she wants to, but she's not sure how. Telling her friends was easy; Spencer practically found out on her own (as far as Hanna knew), and the others found out when the clock struck midnight on January 1st. It was simple. This time, she doesn't have morning sickness or the New Year's countdown on her side. She has to think of a better way, or at least something Ashley-worthy. "We should." He nods in agreement. "But we have the whole weekend. We shouldn't rush it."

He sighs. " _Why do you keep putting this off?_ " He's not against waiting a few more days, but he wishes they could just get this over with. "Why do you keep pushing this?" she snaps. There's silence, and then a sigh. Then, she continues. "I just don't know how to. That's all." Caleb's slightly put off by the sudden tone, but he doesn't fight her for it. " _Alright._ "

"Do you have any ideas?" He shakes his head. He only has as much experience as Hanna does with this, and the first people he told only found out because he was drunk off his rocker. " _Nothing_."

"We'll think of something." She turns onto her old street and Caleb starts cleaning up the front of the car. Ashley is waiting on the porch for them, just like last time. From what they can make out, she has a rather anticipatory expression on her face, but they assume she's just happy to see them.

Hanna parks the car in the driveway and walks around to the other side to help Caleb out. By then, her mother is halfway down the walkway, gesturing to Hanna to pop the trunk so that she could grab their bags for them. "Thank you," the male says, first to Hanna, then to Ashley. Ashley nods at him and heads into the house with the bags. Caleb and Hanna exchange glances, but follow her anyway.

"Ted's out grocery shopping, but I can order a pizza or something if you guys are hungry," the older woman tells the couple as she heads upstairs with their stuff. Still following her, Caleb looks to Hanna for an answer, and she nods. "That sounds good to us."

"Believe it or not, I still have your favourite pizzeria on speed dial," Ashley says, pulling out her phone, tapping the third number from the left, and stepping out of the room, leaving Hanna and Caleb alone to get settled. The blonde shakes her head at her boyfriend, saying, "Something's up." He gives her a questioning look, and she continues. "I haven't seen her like this in a while. Not since she started seeing Pastor Ted."

" _Maybe they're engaged too._ " Hanna scoffs at that. "I doubt it. After my dad, I don't think she ever wants to get married again." Caleb smirks, sitting down on the bed and pushing his crutches off to the side. " _Never say never._ " She's still incredibly doubtful, but he has a point. She didn't think Aria and Ezra would get back together, but they've got an engagement party planned for the next day. "She's not wearing a ring though."

Caleb opens his mouth to argue, but the sound of Ashley's footsteps cut him off. "Pizza will be here in thirty minutes. I have some calls to make, but feel free to holler if you need something." There's a moment of awkward eye contact between her and Hanna before she actually leaves the room, but as soon as she does, Hanna looks at Caleb with wide blue eyes. "She knows," she mouths, moving closer to the male. He shakes her head. " _What makes you think that?_ "

The blonde waits until she can hear the sound of her mother's footsteps on the stairs to respond. "The look she gave me... Her eyes... When I was younger, any time she found out about something before I got around to telling her, she would give me _that_ look. She gave me _that_ look when she found your stuff in the basement. And since she basically knows everything else that's going on in my life—"

" _The only thing left is the baby._ " He doesn't want to believe her, but she knows her mother better than he does. "The only difference between then and now is that she doesn't look mad, which is a good thing, but it also means we don't have as much time to put this off as I had hoped." Caleb's unaffected by this. He's been waiting for her to tell Ashley for months now, and he's glad it's finally going to happen. " _Have you thought of a way to tell her yet?_ " She hasn't. Then again, it's only been about twenty-five minutes since they last discussed this. "I've still got nothing."

Caleb racks his head for something as well, but comes up short. " _Maybe we should just come right out and say it. If you're right and she already knows, then it doesn't make sense to fluff it up._ " Hanna sighs. "You're right."

She opens her mouth to call her mother, but she closes it again when she hears the doorbell first. "We'll tell her after pizza."

* * *

Their entire dining experience is awkward. Every time Hanna opens her mouth to speak, Ashley seems to perk up, and then back down a bit when she realizes it isn't about what she's waiting to hear about. Finally, the older woman decides she can't wait anymore and speaks up. Coincidentally, that's when Hanna decides she wants to break the news. Their words come out in a contorted jumble of, "So, I got a call the other day," and "Mom, there's something I need to tell you," and again with the, "You firsts."

They look at each other, and then at Caleb, as if he's supposed to choose who speaks first, and he just shrugs his shoulders. There's a brief silence, and then Hanna continues. "I guess I should just come out and say this. Um— You're gonna be a grandma." There's not even a hint of surprise on Ashley's face, but she congratulates them anyway. "I'll admit, this isn't really much of a surprise. Ella called me the other day to congratulate me." The knowing look on the redhead's face is gone, but her daughter's taken on a pissed off expression. Caleb starts to rub her back in an attempt to calm her down.

"How did she know?" Hanna _knows_ that's a stupid question. Of course Aria would have told her. Out of all the times she could choose to tell the truth, and all the things she could say, she would choose this week to tell people Hanna's business. " _Han, breathe._ " Caleb knows Hanna's upset, but he doesn't want her to stress herself out too much. It's not good for her or the baby.

Ashley shrugs and shakes her head. "No idea. I figured you announced it on one of those social media sites and forgot to tell me, but evidently, that's not the case." The blonde is fuming. Both her mother and her boyfriend can tell. "I might've been able to figure it out myself, you know. Last time you were here, you said you didn't want a snack because you had saltines, and you got sick every single day that week but never showed any other signs of fever or, you know, actually _illness_."

It's not working. Hanna's not even listening. She's so angry. How is it that her friend has enough time to tell her mother about a pregnancy that isn't even hers, but not enough to tell one of her best friends that she's off the market again? It doesn't make any sense. She swallows thickly and gets up from the table. "I think... I think it's time for a nap. I'll be upstairs if you need me."

She starts to walk away, but turns back. "Caleb, tell Ezra to tell Aria that we're not coming to the party." He shakes his head. " _Han, this is ridiculous. I'm sure she didn't mean to—"_ Before he has a chance to finish his sentence, she's out of the room. Ashley empties her glass of water and refills it with some red wine. She holds the bottle out to Caleb, but rethinks her actions and sets it down on the counter behind her. " _I should follow her,_ " Caleb begins, flinching as he hears the door slap upstairs. The woman shakes her head. "Let her calm down first. There's something we need to talk about in the meantime."

The male nods, though he's very confused. What could they _possibly_ have to talk about? " _I'm all ears._ "

* * *

Ashley's words are on repeat in Caleb's mind as he hobbles into their temporary bedroom and lies down on the bed, slowly scooting himself closer to her as she sleeps. Feeling the sudden increase in weight on the mattress, she rolls over to look at him. She doesn't _look_ as upset as she did earlier, Caleb notices, but the feeling is still there. " _I don't like missing out either._ "

She's silent for a moment, unsure what to make of this, since it seems to have come out of the blue. "What do you mean?"

" _When you found out Aria was engaged, you were upset because you didn't know they were back together._ " She nods, and her eyes tell him to continue. " _And you wish you could've told your mom the news before she found out from someone else, right?_ " More nods. He's spot on in his analysis. " _And you could've done that if you were able to see her in person more often._ "

He's absolutely right, but she doesn't like thinking about those things. "Where are you going with this?" she questions, sitting up. " _Well, I've been thinking..._ " More like 'I thought about it once or twice, but your mom made me think about it some more.' " _How would you feel about moving back to Rosewood?_ " His question catches Hanna by surprise. "I don't know. Do you actually want to move back here?"

He shrugs. He's not opposed to the idea. Rosewood's no Manhattan, but it's home. It's where their friends are, it's where Hanna's family is, and it's what they know. Not to mention all the free babysitting they could get out of people when the time comes. More silence between them, until she breaks it. "What about your job?"

His brief conversation was riddled with a number of great points on her part, the main one being the lack of difficulty that came with travel between New York City and the small town. " _I can commute. It's only a two-hour drive from here to there. Maybe less if I take the turnpike._ " It's a lot of extra stress on him, but he's convinced it could be worth it. "You're not gonna drive four hours every day, Caleb," is all she has to say to that. After the accident, she's still not sure about him driving at all. " _No, but I can get a studio closer to work, and stay there whenever I have to_."

There's the problem. If he's going to move the family back to Rosewood _and_ keep his job, he's going to have to make some sacrifices; at least, until he's able to find something closer. "So, we won't even be in the same state most of the time." Hanna doesn't like this. No, she doesn't like this at all. He dodges the statement, adding, " _We can have a bigger place if we live here. One with a yard, and neighbours we know. Toby can even build us a white picket fence if you want one._ "

She's still not sold on the idea. Everything he just listed sounds nice, but she doesn't want to be separated from him for so long so often. He can tell, which is why he grabs his phone and starts searching through his bookmarks for something. Hanna watches the screen as well, until a housing advertisement appears on the screen. "It's all ours if we want it," he tells her, handing her the phone so that she can flip through the pictures on the listing.

She likes what she sees. The house is more spacious than their apartment, and it's not too far from her mother's home. It looks like something off of a real estate magazine cover. "Caleb, it's beautiful," she exclaims. Caleb smiles. He's glad she likes it. " _It's basically ours if we want it..._ _Just say the word, and I'll call the real estate agent. We can move in as soon as my leg heals._ "

He has a lot planned for when his leg heals. The most important thing has to do with the little black box that's sitting at the bottom of his sock drawer back home. He's glad his leg has put him out of the bended knee business for a while, because now he has time to think of a better (and more romantic) way to propose.

She starts to nod, but stops and starts shaking her head. "But you'll be two hours away most of the time. I might be able to handle that right now, but what about when the baby comes? Don't you want to be around for that?"

That stumps him. He's been so caught up trying to simplify things, that he hasn't even thought about the most complicated part. But come hell or high water, he's going to find a way to do both. " _I can. I'll just figure it out._ " Hanna's not convinced. She's worried he's spreading himself too thin. Correction: she _knows_ he's spreading himself too thin, and that's not something she wants for him. She's perfectly fine living in New York. Sure, it's far from her support network, but that's what trains, cars, and planes are for.

But a move back to Rosewood doesn't sound completely awful. "Can we talk about this later? I mean, once you do?" No sense in making major life decisions if all of the details aren't clear and set in stone. He agrees with a nod of the head. " _Of course, baby_."

* * *

 _ **Author's note:** I've had a really weird week so please excuse the really weird chapter, but I hope you enjoy it anyway! I've got some really nice things in store for these two. Love you all!_


	7. Chapter 7

He's just returned from a job interview in Philadelphia; one that he didn't tell Hanna about. As far as she knows, he's been working extra-hard to protect his company from cyber crimes, but in reality, he's been working towards their move to Rosewood. If he gets this job, or any of the others he's been trying to, they'll be set. They can move back to Rosewood, they'll have trustworthy friends and family around, and the only real sacrifice they'll have to make is the city life; even though they both love Manhattan, it's a fair exchange.

Hanna's on the couch, watching Project Runway. There's a plate of brownies in her lap, but it's relatively untouched. She decided after two bites that she wasn't _actually_ craving brownies, but she doesn't want to throw them away. She might want some later, when she thinks she's craving something else. She's so wrapped up in the program on the television (and all of her thoughts surrounding it) that she doesn't hear the front door open, or the footsteps leading from it to the living room, or see Caleb peeking at her from the arch until he clears his throat. "Babe, you're back!" she exclaims, getting up from the couch and running to embrace him. She's noticed an increase in the amount of time he was spending at work, and even though he told her time and time again that he was working to keep the bad guys out, she always felt lonesome when he was away. She couldn't even begin to imagine what it would be like if he was gone for  days at a time; she's glad she turned down his idea to move back to Rosewood now.

" _How was your day?_ " he asks, lifting her up and spinning her around, much to her dismay. It was cute a few months ago when she wasn't pregnant, but now it just makes her dizzy. "It was a day," she replies once he sets her down and she regains her balance. " _Was Baby Rivers good for you?_ " He's looking down at her tummy now. He knows she hasn't felt sick in a while, but he still has to ask. Just in case. Hanna shrugs. "Your child's indecisive." She gestures towards the plate that's now sitting on the coffee table, and then looks back at him. "They spent all afternoon trying to convince me that I wanted brownies, and then changed their mind as soon as I made some."

Caleb smirks at that, but switches to a more neutral expression when he sees the look of annoyance on his girlfriend's face. " _Well, what are you craving now, baby?_ " The blonde thinks for a moment. "I could go for a chocolate milkshake." She hopes _this_ craving will last until she actually gets to eat. She doesn't want to be wasteful. " _Our usual place then?_ " She nods. The last time they were there was the day they first found out she was pregnant, and she hadn't even ordered anything. "I'll go get ready." And with that, she's headed down the hall towards their room. Caleb starts to follow her, but his ringtone interrupts him. One look at the Caller ID sends him toward the kitchen instead; he doesn't want Hanna to overhear this.

* * *

It's been a full twenty minutes since he hung up the phone, and he's buzzing. He wants to tell Hanna the news right away, but he figures it would be better for him to wait until dinner. It'll make their burger joint date much more special. He's tapping his foot and glancing down at his watch as if he's in a twentieth-century sitcom. " _Han, come on!_ " He enters the room to find her curled up on the bed in an old t-shirt and a pair of cotton shorts. Something tells him they won't be going out to eat tonight after all. He limps over to the bed and sits on the edge of the side closest to her. " _What's wrong?_ " he asks, running his fingers through her beautiful blonde waves. She shakes her head and buries her face in the pillow, not wanting to talk. He takes the cue, and moves his hand down to rub her back instead. That's enough to get a quick peek out of her, and he takes that as a cue to try talking to her again. "Han, if you're not feeling well..." She reaches for his hand to stop the motion. She loves it when he rubs her back, but she's just not in the mood to be touched right now. "Stop." Her tone is abrupt, but there's a shakiness to it. Either she's about to cry, or she already has. " _Alright, fine,_ " he says, getting up to limp out of the room. He really does want to talk to her about this, but it has to be on her accord; not his. "Wait." She's sitting up now, and he can see her face again, better than he was able to before. Now, he knows she's been crying.

There's a silence between them, and then she says something under her breath. " _What?_ " he questions, moving closer that he can hear her better. There's a sigh, and then she repeats herself. "I need new jeans." He looks at her for a moment, trying to process what she's just said, but then it clicks. She can practically see the light bulb turn on in his head, and something about his facial expression sends her face right back to the pillow. " _We can go shopping if you want to,_ " he informs, eyes drifting over to the disheveled mound of clothing on the floor. His first thought is to start cleaning it up for her, but his leg says otherwise. "What's that gonna do? I'm gonna need another pair in a couple of weeks anyway." He goes back to the bed, sitting in the same spot he had been before. " _And we'll buy you some then too_."

Hanna turns her head so that she's facing him. "And I'll grow out of them." Tonight is the first time in _years_ that she had trouble fitting into clothes that were already in her closet, and she knows it's only gonna get worse as the pregnancy progresses. And while she knows this is something that's natural (or temporary), she's still frustrated; not with the clothes or herself. Just the situation. Caleb is speechless. He doesn't know how to console her without sounding cliche, but he also doesn't want her to take his silence as carelessness. So, he kicks his shoes off and gets into bed with the blonde, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close as soon as he gets the change. She's crying again, and she's getting his shirt wet, but he doesn't care. " _Han—_ " He pauses, trying to phrase what he's saying properly. " _Han, you're having our baby._ " The sniffling stops, but they both know that's not the end of this.

"I know, Caleb," she says bitterly, trying to pull away from him. " _Let me finish. You're having our baby, and I know weight gain is a difficult thing for you, but— But I'll never not think you're beautiful._ " He's grazing cliche territory, so he tries to steer himself in another direction. " _You'll survive this. Your mom went through this exact same thing, and look at her. You have good genetics in your favour._ " Her attempts to leave him continue, and he finally lets her go. "You don't understand." She gets up from the bed, and starts to walk out of the room. She's thankful for his words of encouragement, but he's completely missing the mark. " _Where are you going?_ " he questions, sitting up. "Somewhere else. I don't wanna talk about this anymore." He has so many great points, but she's not in the mood right now. Caleb sighs, but doesn't protest. If she wants her space, she can have it. He reclines on the bed, hoping to close his eyes for just a moment.

* * *

A moment turns into two hours; he figures that out pretty quickly. His hair is messy, and he has some dried drool running down the side of mouth. He rolls over, and is surprised not to have Hanna by his side. That's when he remembers the conversation they had early. Carefully, he gets up from the bed and heads toward the living room. He pauses in the archway that separates the living room from the hallway when he sees that she's asleep. She looks so peaceful. He wants to pick her up and carry her to their bedroom so that she can get a proper, more comfortable sleep, but his leg isn't fully healed yet and he knows his limitations. So, he goes back to their bedroom. The pile of clothes that she left behind is still sitting on the hardwood, so he picks up each and every garment and puts it back where it's supposed to go. Then, he moves to his own chest of drawers to find some pajamas to put on; he had fallen asleep in the clothes he had worn to the interview and was planning to wear tonight, and even though they weren't uncomfortable, he wouldn't fall asleep in them again. As he opens his sock drawer, his eyes fall upon a little black box. _The_ little black box. He's anxiously awaiting the day when he'll be able to show Hanna what's inside of it, but he knows it's coming soon.

Meanwhile, a set of crystal blue eyes flutter open in a dark room. Their owner yawns, stretching her body out on the couch, and rubs her eyes before sitting up. She doesn't know how long she's been asleep, but she's hoping it hasn't been too long. Her sleep schedule has suffered enough throughout these past few months. She begins to search for her phone, only to realize she left it back in the bedroom. Cue the groan; she doesn't want to get up again, but everything she wants right now is down the hall. Her phone, her bed, Caleb. _Especially_ Caleb. She feels bad for having brushed him off earlier, but she wasn't in the mood for any discussions. Not about this, at least. Letting out another yawn, she gets up from the couch and starts back toward their bedroom.

He hastily hides the ring and closes the drawer when he hears footsteps coming from the living room. He doesn't want to spoil the surprise for her, and tonight just doesn't feel like the right time. Besides, he has other things to share with her. _Bigger_ things. The blonde enters the room, only to be greeted by a sing-songy, "Look who's awake!" from Caleb. "How long was I asleep?" she questions, glancing toward the alarm clock on his bedside table. " _Two hours, give or take a couple of minutes._ " She rubs the back of her neck. It feels a bit stiff from her time on the couch. First chance she gets, she's getting rid of it and replacing it with something more comfortable. " _How are you feeling? Better, I hope?_ " She brushes that question off. She's still feeling frustrated, but she doesn't want to hear the pep talk again. "It's too late to go out to eat, but do you wanna whip something up here? I'm thinking brownies and chocolate ice cream... with hot chocolate."

He chuckles and she starts to blush. " _Baby really likes chocolate, huh?_ " he comments, looking down at her tummy again. He's looking for a bump this time, but he doesn't see it. "Baby _loves_ chocolate. Baby's just picky about how they get their fill." Hanna's cheeks are still pink, but she's laughing along with him. "Come on, let's get some."

* * *

 _ **Author's note:** This chapter's got a really short feel to it, even though it's 2k+ words long and took me almost two weeks to finish (Thanks Marlene). I hope that's okay though! As always, let me know what you think. _


	8. Chapter 8

"You know, I would be a lot more at ease if you told me where we were going." All Hanna knows is that they're going on a trip. She doesn't know where, and she doesn't know for how long. All she knows is that they're almost there. At least, that's what he keeps telling her. _Don't worry, Han. We're almost there. We'll be there soon._ Caleb's trying his hardest to keep his mouth shut. He's put too much time into planning this to just throw it all away. She'll find out in due time, and when she does, he's sure he'll be the happiest woman on earth. Hanna's posture stiffens when she catches a glimpse of the exit they usually take to Rosewood. _That's not where they're going, is it? He isn't trying to pass a trip to Rosewood off as a romantic vacation, is he?_ He  is. They were turning onto that exit, and entering the downtown area. They're a look of disappointment on her face. She was hoping to go somewhere new; somewhere exotic (or, at least, outside of the Mid-Atlantic region). Not Rosewood. " _We're just passing through, Han. The only reason I'm stopping is because my leg needs a break._ " That's one of many lies to escape his lips today, but they're for a good cause. "Fine." She just wants to get where they're going. These long car rides are getting more and more uncomfortable as the pregnancy progresses. She only just formed a bump, and she's already prepared to swear off all forms of motor vehicle.

They pull into Toby's driveway soon after. The tall male and his tall girlfriend are standing on the porch, waiting for them. Hanna wonders how they knew they were coming; Caleb hadn't touched his phone since they hit the highway. However, the thought disappears from her mind the minute she exits the car and is embraced by an excited Spencer, and a slightly calmer Toby. " _Sorry for the short notice, guys,_ " Caleb says, limping over to join them. "It's completely fine," Toby replies, putting a hand up. He turns to Hanna, saying, "I wasn't sure if you were gonna want a nap or not, but I got the guest room ready anyway." She bites down on her lesser lip, glances at Spencer, and then looks back at Toby. "It couldn't hurt to take a _quick_ nap." She's running on less sleep than usual today; they left Manhattan early that morning, and were up for two hours before then packing for the trip. She could've napped in the car, but she was too focused on their destination to do so. But now she has an opportunity, and she wants to take it.

* * *

She hasn't taken it. She fully intends to, but she hasn't. Instead, she and Spencer are sprawled out across the bed in Toby's guest room, staring up at the ceiling, gossiping about their boyfriends. Hanna, in particular, is rather loose-lipped. "He want to move back to Rosewood," she tells her friend, not looking away from the starry patterns above them. "Do you?" Spencer already knows the answer to that; she knows just as much about this as Toby does. "Not if he's gonna keep his job in New York. He was gone almost all day the other day, and I felt so lonely... I don't think I would be able to handle him being away for days at a time." The taller of the two nods to show that she's listening, even though her friend isn't looking at her. "Would he consider getting a job here?" It's taking a lot of willpower for Spencer not to just come clean about what she knows. This isn't her secret to keep, but it's not hers to tell either. "I think he said he was going to look, but I haven't heard anything about any interviews, and he's been putting more work in at the job he already has."

"That's weird." The brunette's mind is searching for something, anything, that they can use to change the subject. "I think Toby's considering leaving the police force." That doesn't phase Hanna too much. She's too busy thinking about Caleb and this move. It's as if just being in the town has awakened these feelings; these feelings that she doesn't want to feel. "Good. He was the only stand up cop on the force anyway," the blonde mumbles. Another reason not to return to Rosewood: corrupt cops. A was long gone, but she was sure the Rosewood PD was still as crooked and flawed as ever. "I'm not gonna argue with that... But _anyway_ , he wants to go into carpentry."

Hanna wants to be interested. She really does, but it's difficult to focus on anything other than her own situation right now. Spencer can tell, which is why she brings the conversation back around to her. "Do you guys know what you're having yet?" she questions, gesturing towards the small curvature on Hanna's midsection. "Not yet. We tried to find out at the last appointment, but the doctor couldn't get a good picture." Spencer's eyebrows furrow at that. "Oh. Well, do you know what you want?" Hanna shrugs. She's thought about it, but she knows whatever she has isn't going to change anything in the long run. If he's a boy, she'll love him. If she's a girl, she'll love her. "I don't really care as long as it's healthy." Cue a chuckle from Spencer. "Han, you're becoming a cliche." The blonde playfully elbows her in the shoulder for that. "You'll say the same thing whenever you and Tob _—_ "

A knock at the door causes Spencer to rise from the bed. Hanna starts to stir as well, but Spencer gestures to her to stay put. From her supine position on the bed, Hanna catches a glimpse of Caleb through the partial opening in the door, before her friend slips through it and closes it. She considers following them, but she's comfortable where she is. So, she just closes her eyes and waits for Spencer to come back.

She doesn't realize she's dozed off until Spencer shakes her awake again. There's a familiar smile on her face, but Hanna's so out of it that she can't remember when she's seen it before. "Hey, Sleepyhead. That was your boyfriend. He wants to know whether or not you want to go to dinner tonight." Hanna rubs her eyes and sits up. "I thought we were supposed to be hitting the road soon." She doesn't know exactly what time it is, but she knows they've been stopped for too long. "Well, maybe he's planning on leaving afterwards." She's hoping Hanna won't question this too much. She's pretty good at keeping her cool, but she doesn't want to end up accidentally giving the secret away. The blonde opens her mouth to speak again, but Spencer cuts her off, saying, "The restaurant he was talking about is pretty nice. You should probably start getting ready." Hanna sighs a resigned sigh. "Alright. Tell him I said 'alright'."

With that, Spencer's out the door again. Hanna gets up as well and starts to head downstairs. The bags are still in the car, since they aren't planning on staying long, and she wouldn't dare wear a tee shirt and sweats to a nice restaurant.

* * *

Caleb's incredibly nervous. The ring is in his pocket. His long fingers brush up against the little black box every time he tries to protect them from the warmth. He wants, more than anything, to get this over with. He wants to see her reaction. He wants to hear her say _yes_. He rocks back and forth on his heels as he waits for the maître d' to direct them to their table, despite Hanna's requests for him to come sit next to her. Spencer and Toby are there, sitting on the other side of the room due to lack of space on Hanna's side, for moral support. Caleb's heart beats a little bit faster every time he looks at his future fiancee, and his breath hitches in his throat. _How the hell is he supposed to propose if he can't even breathe properly?_ He feels like he's gonna throw up.

He's about to give in and walk over to her when the words "Rivers, party of four," interrupt his train of thought. _Thank goodness_. He helps Hanna up, and then turns to follow the server to their booth. He specifically asked for a booth, so that Hanna could slide in and out without having to fiddle with the chair, and so that he could slide out when the right time came. Spencer and Toby slid in first, taking the end closest to the wall to that their friends could have the open end.

The first forty minutes went by quickly. They placed their drink orders, then their appetizer orders, then their entree orders. They talked about Rosewood's goings ons, and the things that Hanna and Caleb had missed while they were away. They talked about Aria and Ezra's impending wedding (which annoyed Hanna, because she still hadn't forgiven Aria for telling people her news), and about Spencer's mom's campaign for the United States Senate. They even talked about the baby for a bit, though Hanna managed to change the subject to something she saw on Buzzfeed pretty soon afterward. They ate, they talked some more.

Then it was time. Caleb swallows thickly, reaching into his pocket for the little black box. He looks at Toby, then at Spencer, then at Hanna, who's looking at her phone. Clearing his throat, he begins to speak. " _We should probably go._ " The blonde looks up from her phone and nods. "I think that's a great idea." Another round of glances. "But before we do, there's something I need to say." Hanna gives him a questioning look. _What could he possibly have to say that he couldn't say on the way back to Toby's house?_ So, he continues. " _I care a lot about you, Han. I love you. Sometimes more than I love myself_." The questioning look remains. She doesn't know where he's going with this. " _You have a heart of gold... and a great head of hair to match. You took me in when I was homeless. I left town to go chase ghosts with another girl, and you loved me anyway. I know I can be a bit... extra... at times, but you're a treasure... A literal treasure, who deserves the very best. You're the mother to my future child, and I... I want you to be my wife too, Hanna. I want to grow old with you. To be with you until the end of time._" He gets up and gets down on one knee, reaches into his pocket, and takes out the ring. "So, will you marry me?"

There's a pause, then some sniffles. Spencer and Toby are watching with anticipation, as they await Hanna's response. Caleb's shaking. Literally shaking. "Caleb," Hanna begins, blotting her eyes with her napkin. "Of course I will." She gives him her hand, so that he can slide the diamond ring onto her finger. They're both smiling. Spencer and Toby are smiling. The other restaurant-goers whose attentions were caught by the proposal are smiling; some have even started to clap for the newly-engaged couple. When he stands back up, Hanna gets up to hug him and presses a chaste kiss to his lips. She's given up trying to wipe her tears; they'll flow until they won't. " _Let's get out of here for real,_ " he suggests, pulling a fifty dollar bill out of his pocket and setting it down on the table. "I have a few more surprises up my sleeve before the night's over."

Hanna doesn't think anything can top the engagement, but she's excited to see what he has in mind. She grips his hand as they walk out of the restaurant toward the car. Spencer and Toby climb into the back seats, and Caleb and Hanna sit up front. Hanna rests one hand on her bump, and admires the ring on the other one. She feels as if she could stare at it forever. It's the most beautiful piece of jewelry she's ever received. She's so caught up with it that she doesn't notice when Caleb parks the car in Toby's driveway and Toby and Spencer get out. She doesn't notice when he puts the car back in drive and starts to head towards the wooded area they visited on New Year's. She doesn't notice until Caleb pulls a blindfold out of the glove compartment and asks her to put it on. She reluctantly agrees, glancing at the ring one last time before allowing him to place the blindfold over her eyes.

* * *

She has half a mind just to yank the blindfold off and peek, but that would ruin the surprise, and she knows Caleb's put a lot of effort into this night. " _We're almost there, Han. Just two more minutes._ " He can't see her, but she's rolling her eyes. A few more minutes pass, and then she hears his voice again. " _Alright— **Now**_." She yanks the fabric off of her face before he can even finish the word. She's expecting to see a pretty city, or a cabin with a view, but all she really _does_ see is that house. The one from the listing Caleb showed her last time they were there. "Why are we here?" She knows why they're there. He's gonna try to convince her to move back to Rosewood again. She should've known better.

" _Well_ ," he begins, taking the blindfold from her and folding it back up. " _It's ours now._ " He watches as her expression changes from confusion, to rage, to sadness, and then back to rage. He puts a hand up, hoping to calm her, or to put her off long enough to explain. " _Ever since your mom mentioned moving back, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. It's just... Moving back to Rosewood would be so much easier. We have friends here. Your mother is here. New York is great, but it's lonely, and I hate knowing that we can't come out here to visit without having to drive two hours._ " Hanna scoffs at that. "Caleb, your job is in New York. If we move back here, you're gonna have to take that two hour drive. It's gonna be a constant back and forth, and... And you won't have me around for the ride every time."

Tears are starting to form in her eyes, and she takes the blindfold back from him to try to dry them. " _Actually, no. I won't._ " Teary blue eyes reflect the look of assurance on the male's face. "What do you mean?" There's a smile now; a smile backed by two parts excitement and one part nervousness. " _I got a job in Philly, Han._ "

Cue the rage again. "Why didn't you tell me you were looking for a job?" His smile fades a bit. He was expecting a reaction like this when he set everything up, but he hadn't realized it would be so intense. Perhaps he should've waited until the morning to make these announcements. " _I wanted to surprise you... You said that the only reason you didn't want to move back to Rosewood was the amount of time you would have to spend without me. Now, that problem's non-existent_." She sighs. He's right. There's nothing holding them back now. There's nothing preventing them from continuing their lives in Rosewood. "I guess it is." She's quiet for a moment. She needs to think. He tries to go along with the silence, but grows impatient after about thirty seconds. " _Do you want to see it?_ "

She nods. "I... Yeah, I would love to." She unbuckles her seatbelt, and he unbuckles his, and they head towards the house. It's huge compared to their apartment back in New York; that's the first thing Hanna notices about it. He pulls the keys out of his pocket and unlocks the door, pushing it open to reveal what may as well be his fiancee's dream house. She rushes inside, looking first at the kitchen, then at the living room. They're exactly what the advertisement promised and more. She's even more impressed by the second floor. Caleb puts on his best real estate agent voice in an attempt to sell the house to her (or rather, to get her sold on the house). He shows her the guest rooms, and the smaller bathroom, pointing out the same little details the real estate agent did when he took the tour.

He shows her the room that he's hoping to turn into the nursery. It's the biggest out of the smaller rooms, and the one with the best view. The walls are a plain white, just waiting to be painted with whichever colour they settle on, and the floors are waiting to support their child's first bedroom furniture. " _I think I might leave this one up to you,_ " he tells her, glancing out the window and then turning back to her. " _The whole house, really. I can make it look kind of nice, but you'll make it beautiful._ " She blushes at that. "I would love that." She has so many ideas for the house. She's been wanting to decorate since they moved to New York, but their landlord put too many restrictions on what they could and couldn't do. But this? This is her house. She can decorate it however she wants to.

" _Do you want to see where we'll be sleeping?_ " Caleb questions, one eyebrow cocked. Hanna nods enthusiastically, following him out of the future nursery and down the hall. His hands grip the doorknob, and he tries his hardest to hype it up. After all, this is where they'll be... _sleeping_. "Come on! Open it," she begs. He grins, pushing the door open to reveal the room to her. There's already a bed in there; one she recognizes. It's hers from her mother's house. It's her turn to cock an eyebrow. "I should've known my mom was in on this," she comments. He chuckles. " _Well, she really wants you to want to stay._ " She looks at him for a moment, and then wraps her arms around him. "I want to stay too." He leans down to kiss her. This kiss is much deeper than the one they shared in the restaurant. There's no one watching them this time, and they take advantage of that. "I love you so much," she mumbles against his lips. " _I love you too._ " He breaks the kiss, only to pepper her neck with pecks instead. "I love you _more_ ," she counters, gently pushing against his torso, trying to get him to move backwards towards the bed. He takes the hint, taking cautious steps until he could feel his legs touch the bed. " _I love you most,_ " he whispers, sitting down and pulling her down to sit with him. " _Mrs. Rivers._ "

* * *

 _ **Author's note:** I've been planning this for so long, and I'm so glad it's finally written out! I hope you guys enjoy it, especially you Haleb shippers out there who aren't happy with what's going on on the show. As always, reviews and plot suggestions are greatly appreciated! Again, I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter._


	9. Chapter 9

"What time are your parents supposed to be here?" Hanna asks, sticking her toothbrush back in her mouth. She doesn't know what they were thinking, planning a housewarming party for the same day they moved in, but here they are, scrambling to beat the clock. " _Six?_ " The uncertainty in his voice warrants a glare from Hanna, so he quickly corrects himself. " _Six. She'll be here at six._ " The glare is gone, and she bends over to spit out the white foam. " _Which gives us... Fifteen minutes._ " Hanna whips her head around to look at him, and he throws his hands up in surrender. That does little to thwart her angered reaction. " _Fifteen_ minutes?!" She's not dressed yet, and she hasn't gotten around to washing her face and doing her makeup. There's no way she's going to get all of that done in a measly fifteen minutes. "Tell them the party's been pushed back. I need _at least_ ten minutes more than that."

Caleb sighs, pulling out his phone. " _I'll do even better than that. What do you say we start the party at 6:15?_ " It's short notice, and he has quite a few people to pass that message along to before the clock strikes six, but he would rather do that than deal with an angry fiancee. Since he's looking down at his phone, he doesn't see the relieved smile that's on her face. "Much better," she replies, lathering some scrub onto her face. Sending off the last text, he exits the bathroom and begins to search for a better outfit. While there's nothing wrong with a pair of athletic shorts and a tee shirt, he's not sure Hanna would approve. He removes the casual outfit and exchanges it for a pair of dark jeans and a blue v-neck. At some point during his change, his fiancee exits the bathroom, makeup fresh upon her face and skin smelling of lemon (or maybe it's grapefruit). It doesn't take her too long to get dressed, since she's chosen to lay an outfit beforehand. It's a simple black maxi dress with small white polka dots; flowy enough to keep her comfortable, but fancy enough for her to look presentable.

Cue the flirtatious whistle from across the room. Caleb's leaning against the dresser, admiring the blonde. He finds her beautiful whether she's dressed up or dressed down. Made up or fresh-faced. But tonight, she's stunning. "You like?" she questions, doing a quick twirl so that her fiance can see the whole outfit. He nods. " _You look great tonight._ " He moves towards her and snakes his arms around her waist, pulling her close and pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Do I not look great every night." She's joking. "You look great too. I love the colour blue on you." She leans up to kiss him, but their moment is interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. She rolls her eyes and mouths the word _later_ before heading downstairs to welcome their guests.

* * *

"I'm so glad you pushed the party back," Spencer comments, stepping into the house just seconds after Hanna opens the door for her. Naturally, the blonde stands by the door, waiting for Toby to come in, but she doesn't even see his car in the driveway. She shoots Spencer a questioning look, and almost immediately receives clarification. "He'll be here later. Your gift wasn't ready, but I didn't want to be the last one to show up." Spencer's stress is palpable, and Hanna'a about to tell her not to worry about it when the subject changes. "How's the little one doing?" The blonde places a hand on her tiny bump. "Alright... I think? I don't feel like there's anything wrong." There's a pause. "You know what? Baby's thirsty. Wanna see the kitchen?"

The two share a nod and start towards the kitchen, brushing past Caleb who's only just come down the stairs. " _Hey, where's Toby?_ " he calls after them, only to be told not to worry about it by Spencer. The doorbell rings again, and he goes to answer it. This time, it's Emily and Alison. Not the guests he's most interested in seeing tonight, but he's still happy to see them. " _Hey guys, make yourselves at home. I think Hanna and Spencer are in the kitchen, if you want to go see them._" The confused expressions on their faces tell him to elaborate. " _Second arch to the right. Follow the smell of chocolate cake._ " As the girls leave the patio and enter the house, Caleb spots Ashley and Ted walking up the driveway. Still not the people he wants to see the most, but he knows for a fact that Hanna will be happy to see them. A hug and a handshake later, they're in the house and Caleb's stepped outside to sit on the patio.

Meanwhile, everyone else is gathered around the island in the kitchen. The attention's on Hanna, naturally, but she's trying to divert it elsewhere. But the questions keep coming. _How do you feel? Do you know what you're having yet? Have you picked out a name?_ She has the answers, but she wants to hold on for them for a bit; save them for a different day. This is a party, not an interrogation, and there's no rush for everything to be revealed. She's not even halfway done with her pregnancy yet. "I'm gonna go get some air" she announces, grabbing her glass of water and wandering out of the room, leaving everyone else to talk amongst themselves.

Caleb's still watching the road when he hears the door open behind him. "You okay?" He nods. " _Just waiting._ " Hanna sits down next to him. She's not in any hurry go back inside. "I'm sure they'll be here soon," she reassures, searching for his hand to hold. He responds with a bitter chuckle. He's seen this movie with them before. " _I'm not counting on it._ " There's silence. Hanna doesn't know what to say to comfort him, so she rests her head on his shoulder, hoping physical contact will be enough to thwart the bad feeling. He sighs. " _Wanna go back inside? I know we didn't throw this party just to sit around outside._ "

Hanna looks at him for a moment, and then nods. "You're taking all of the questions though," she tells him jokingly. " _What are they asking about?_ " Hanna glances down at her bump, and then back up at him. "Take a wild guess." He pokes it gently, finally smiling for her. " _Just let me do all the talking._ " The blonde gets up and goes back inside. Caleb gets up too, but hangs back for a bit. He wants to give his parents the benefit of the doubt, but it's difficult. He's gonna give it two more minutes... One more minute... Thirty more seconds...

The lack of new arrivals tells him it's time to give up and go back inside. Hanna's probably waiting for him anyway. He turns on his heels and heads back into the house. As soon as the door closes, the overhead light in one of the parked cars turns off, and the sound of a car door closing rings throughout the yard.

* * *

The party's moved from the kitchen to the living room, and everyone's sitting around the fireplace, playing Would You Rather. Ashley and Ted have decided to opt out of the game, and are quietly discussing something Hanna can't quite distinguish. Caleb's mood has improved, thanks to the party games. The only thing that would make him happier would be an appearance from his parents. A nudge from Hanna drags him away from those thoughts before he can fall back into his funk. Cue the confused look from Caleb. _What was the question again?_ He couldn't remember. Seeing the confusion on his face, Spencer asks again. "Would you rather trade your computer for Hanna, or Hanna for your computer." There's a look on the blonde's face that Caleb doesn't like. _Wait_. He hesitated. That's her impatient face. And he's _still_ hesitating. Stammering, he tries to respond quickly. He only _just_ proposed, and he doesn't want her to take off the ring until it's time to switch it out for the wedding ring. " _H-Hanna. Definitely Hanna._ " She nods silently and looks away from him. Emily looks between the couple as if she two as if she's just witnessed a big fight. Ali, on the other hand, compliments Caleb on his save.

Spencer checks her phone, immediately straightening up once she sees the text notification on the screen. "Toby's outside," she announces, standing up to go meet him. "Which means your gift it out there too... I'm gonna need you two to help him," she says, pointing at Caleb and Ted. She looks at Emily for a moment as well, remembering her friend's history of upper-arm strength-building activities, but shakes her head. They don't need that many people anyway, and it's probably been a while since Emily's last trip to the gym. "I should go too," Hanna says, starting to get up. "No, I think you should stay here. No heavy lifting."

She sits back down with a pout on her face. Spencer moves towards the archway to look out for the men. Five minutes pass... Ten minutes... Fifteen minutes... Spencer looks back at Hanna, who's impatiently waiting to see what this long-awaited gift is. "I'll be right back," she informs the group, heading outside to see what the delay is about. Hanna gets up to follow her; she doesn't want to be out of the loop any longer. She pauses at the front door once she realizes what the hold up is about. It's not about the beautifully-crafted rocking chair that's sitting on the walkway, ready to be carried into the house. It's not about Pastor Ted, who's sitting on the steps looking like that's the first exercise he's had in months, or Spencer and Toby who are sitting next to him. It's about Caleb, and the guests who have finally arrived. Caleb waves Hanna over when she sees her, and mumbles a few quick words to his parents who also turn around to look at her.

He wraps an arm around her shoulders once she's within his reach. "And Hanna and I," he begins, looking at her with a light smile. " _We've got a lot to look forward to. We're engaged..._ " Hanna gestures to the ring that's on her finger when he mentions that detail, not wanting to miss an opportunity to show it off. " _We're having a baby._" Those words come out slower and more uncertain than the first few. "Oh," is the first thing that comes out of Claudia's mouth, and then there's a pause. Hanna and Caleb shoot her matching anticipatory glances. Jamie's silent, but it's clear that he's thinking about something. Then, Claudia breaks the silence again. "Well, congratulations. When are you due, Hanna?" Hanna's hand rests protectively over her bump. "About five months from now? I'm drawing a blank on the exact day."

Caleb's eyes shift towards his father. There's no doubt in his mind that his father has something to say. The only question is what it's about. "Congratulations," the man says near-silently, extending his hand for his son to shake. " _Thank you._ " It's a tense moment. It's not supposed to be, but it is. Caleb glances over at Hanna, who's making awkward conversation with his mother about the pregnancy. The brief look she gives him says it all; she's as uncomfortable as he is. " _Uh, we have cake in the house if you're interested. It's chocolate._ " The announcement doesn't do much to ease the tension, but it gives him and Hanna an out.

* * *

While Caleb, Ted, and Toby try again to move the rocking chair into the house, Hanna and Spencer rush into the house to warn Ashley, Ali, and Emily about Claudia and Jamie's arrival, and then to the kitchen to start cutting and plating the cake. "You alright?" the taller one questions as she slices the dessert. "Why wouldn't I be?" Hanna questions, setting the pack of plastic plates down and beginning her search for the box of plastic silverware. "I couldn't even hear what you were saying and _I_ felt awkward." Hanna sighs. "She paused. We told her about the baby, and she paused." Spencer doesn't look up from the cake, but she nods to show her friend that she's listening. "Jamie didn't even open his mouth, and when he did, he sounded like one of those unemotional dads from the sports movies. Not like someone who just found out he's gonna be a grandpa."

Setting the knife down, Spencer sighs. "Maybe they're not interested. Think about it, Han. Claudia flew all the way out here from California, got herself a hotel room five minutes away, and still managed to show up late. And what about Jamie? Doesn't he live around here? What's _his_ reason for showing up late?" Hanna doesn't have an answer. She wishes she does, but she doesn't. "Maybe you're right," she responds, opening up a box of plastic forks. Spencer places a slice of cake on a plate for Hanna and hands it to her. "I just feel bad for Caleb. He's been waiting all this time to tell them, and all he got was an _oh_."

Spencer goes back to cutting the cake. She's not sure what to say to her friend. She doesn't know Jamie or Claudia, or the dynamics of their relationship with Caleb, so she can't be of much help to them. "Thanks for the rocking chair," Hanna says, leaning against the counter with her plate of cake. "Did Toby make that himself?" Spender nods. "That's why it took so long. He was putting the finishing touches on it." That's when the rest of the guests walk in. "Chair's in the living room," Toby announces, making a beeline for his girlfriend. Caleb slides up next to Hanna, giving her a gentle nudge with his elbow. Alison and Emily settle closer to the kitchen sink, and Ted and Ashley move to the other side of Hanna. The only people who aren't fully in the room are Jamie and Claudia, who linger in the archway.

There's an awkward silence for a moment or two, and then Caleb grabs two slices of cake from the island and walks over to his parents. "Thanks for coming," he says, handing each of them a slice. All eyes are on them, and even though Caleb's back is turned, he knows it. "Can we talk in private?" he asks, pointing across the hall to the living room. His parents agree, and the three of them head in that direction. Hanna starts to follow as well, but she's stopped by Emily and Alison who inform her that they have to leave. Hanna hugs them both, thanks them for coming, and walks them to the door, completely forgetting about the conversation that's taking place in the next room. Her mother and the pastor follow suit. Four down, four to go.

Hanna steals a glance into the living room on her way back to the kitchen. The conversation doesn't sound too intense, so she doesn't go in immediately. Instead, she returns to the kitchen, where Spencer and Toby are. "And then there were six," she says, grabbing another slice of cake. "Well, you know, ten's a crowd," Toby replies, pulling Spencer just a little bit closer. "Six is _also_ a crowd. So is five." Hanna mumbles. The more she thinks about Caleb's parents' reactions, the more annoyed she gets. _Why couldn't they have been more enthusiastic?_ Toby and Spencer exchange glances. "If you want us to go..." Spencer begins, setting her plate down. Hanna shakes her head. "You're not the two I'm talking about." Another set of glances. "I do think it's time to go though," Toby comments, setting his plate down as well. "This is a, uh... _family_ situation, and we're not a part of the family." Spencer hesitates, but nods in in agreement. "Thank you for inviting us," she says, wrapping her arms around a sighing Hanna. Toby offers her a sympathetic smile. "Tell Caleb we said bye." Another sigh from Hanna. "I'll walk you out."

* * *

Once she sees Toby and Spencer's cars start down the road, the blonde walks back into the house. This time, she actually steps into the living room. The conversation is still going, but comes to a halt when Caleb spots his fiance. He pats the couch cushion next to him, signalling Hanna to come and join them. Once she's closer, she can see the wet spots on Claudia's face, and the hint of emotion of Jamie's. She wonders what kind of breakthrough they had since coming in here. "Hanna," Claudia begins, brushing away a stray tear with the sleeve of her sweater. "I just want you to know how lucky you are to have someone like Caleb in your life."

Hanna glances over at Caleb, who reaches for her hand to hold. "I didn't have that. Someone like him, I mean..." The attention turns to Jamie, who's now visibly upset; perhaps even remorseful. "But Caleb's already pulling out all the stops, and he has plans to stick around, and..." Jamie cuts her off. "The news took us by surprise, but we support you 100%. We— We dropped the ball as parents, and we're still not up to par, but we want to try to be good in-laws for you and good grandparents for the baby." There are tears in Hanna's eyes as well now, but she doesn't wipe them away. It makes sense now. It wasn't the news that upset them; it was the nature. They weren't there for their son, and now he's going to be a father. _It makes sense_. "We'd like that," Caleb replies, gently squeezing her hand.

"Then it's settled," Claudia says, checking her watch and standing up. "It's getting late. You two probably want your sleep. I'll be in town for another two days, if you two want to catch up some more." It's Hanna's turn to agree. "I'd like that." Everyone's smiling now. If only this conversation had happened sooner; the party would've lasted much longer. "Whadya say we meet up at The Brew tomorrow?" Jamie suggests, standing up and stretching. "I'll pay," Claudia adds, watching as her son stood up as well. "That would be great. Uh, you alright with that, Han?" Caleb questions, helping her up. The blonde nods. If Caleb wants to, she's not going to stand in his way. Besides, she wants to have a relationship with the people who made his favourite person. In all of the time she and Caleb have been together, she's only met with Jamie a handful of times. Her interactions with Claudia have been solely electronic. In her mind, that's a pretty weak relationship for people who are about to be in-laws to have. "Yeah, of course. I can't wait." She gets up, and they all walk to the door.

Claudia's the first to embrace them. "I'll see you two tomorrow." Placing a kiss on Caleb's cheek and shooting Hanna a polite smile, she turns to walk to her car. Jamie shakes Caleb's hand, and then Hanna's, and follows suit. "Call me when you get in," Caleb calls after them, leaning against the doorway as he waits for them to drive away. "How did that feel?" Hanna asks, looking up at him. "We should've let Aria tell them too," he replies jokingly, stepping back into the house and the cars' headlights dim with distance. "Don't be that guy," she warns him, walking around and shutting off the lights. He snickers, sitting down on the stairs to wait for her. "You know you love me."

* * *

 _ **Author's note:** A couple of you requested for them to tell Claudia and Jamie, so here that is, awkward family dynamics and all. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading. Let me know what you think, and feel free to hit me up with other requests!_


	10. Chapter 10

One of Hanna's hands rested in Caleb's, and the other on her bump. Every now and then, he would glance over at her, making sure this was something she wanted. They didn't need to know the sex right away. It would have been nice, for the sake of preparations and baby names, but they didn't _need_ to know. She had caught on by now. If she was counting correctly, this was the fourth time in the past twenty minutes. "I still want to," she said certainly, looking at him with soft blue eyes. Caleb was tempted to close the gap between them and press a kiss to her lips, but the sound of the nurse calling Hanna's name ruined the moment.

He stood up first, and then he helped her up. Then, with linked fingers, they both headed to the back where the examination room was. After checking her weight and blood pressure, the nurse directed her to take a seat in the ultrasound chair and she did. Caleb pulled up a chair to sit next to her and linked hands with her again. " _If you don't want to find out—_ " He begins for a fifth time. Even though Hanna's already expressed her approval several times, he has to be sure. She cuts him off. "I do... Don't you?" she questioned. "Of course I do. I've been waiting to find out since we found out Baby Rivers was a thing." A smile tugged across Hanna's lips when she heard that. She was about to respond, but the doctor's sudden appearance interrupted her train of thought. "Hanna Marin?" the doctor questioned, stepping into the room and moving over to the counter to put on gloves. "I'm Doctor Wilson." She was an older woman, no taller than 5'4", with salt and pepper hair that was pulled back into a bun. She offered two polite nods to Caleb and Hanna before sitting down and turning on the ultrasound machine. "I'm just going to check the baby's heartbeat and measurements. Are you hoping to find out the sex today?" The couple nodded, trying not to look _too_ anxious.

The doctor smiled and reached for a bottle of gel. "This is going to be a _little_ bit cold," she warned, putting pressure on the sides of the bottle and allowing the clear gel to squirt out onto Hanna's stomach. There was a clear look of discomfort on her face, but she knew that this was to be expected. Putting the bottle away, the doctor then reached for the probe and gently pressed it against Hanna's bump. The rapid thumping of the infant's heartbeat filled the room. "Heartbeat's strong," Doctor Wilson commented. "Baby's measurements are good. He or she weighs about a pound and a half, and speaking of which..." She moved the probe around some more, trying to get a good view of the last bit of information. "It looks like you're going to be the parents of a handsome baby boy." She pointed at the defining feature on the screen so that Caleb and Hanna would know where to look. "A boy," Hanna repeated breathlessly, looking at the screen, and then at Caleb. "Caleb, we're having a boy." The male smiled. " _I know, Han_." The blonde looked back at the doctor, who seemed to be watching their precious moment. "May we please have some prints?"

The doctor nodded and removed the probe from Hanna's bump, putting it back where it belonged. Then, she reached for a clean towel and handed it to the blonde so that she could wipe the gel off of her stomach. "Just ask for your prints when you get to the front desk, and feel free to call me if you have any questions." Hanna nodded. "We'll keep that in mind." She waited until the doctor was out of the room and the door was closed to speak again. "Caleb... We're having a boy. A son. A mini-Caleb." He leaned in for the kiss he owed her from earlier. " _He's gonna be perfect,_ " he whispered before his lips met hers. His excitement was palpable, and so was hers. "I know," she replied, pulling away. "I know."

* * *

They were still sitting in the parking lot of the doctor's office, even though the appointment had ended nearly an hour ago. He just kept flipping through the scans, admiring his son. He glanced over at his fiance, who seemed to be scrolling through her contacts list. " _Alright, who are we calling first? Ashley or Claudia_?" Caleb questioned, leaning over to see which section she was on. Hanna shook her head. "Neither. I'm calling Spencer," she replied, tapping her name and hitting the call button. Caleb raised an eyebrow, but didn't protest. Spencer was one of the first people to find out about the baby, after all. It only made sense for her to be the first to know what they were having. He went back to looking at the scans, but listened out for Hanna's conversation. "No answer. Alright, your mom or my mom?" Even though that was the same question he had just asked her, he needed to think about it. On one hand, he knew his mother wanted to be more involved in his life, and that it would have meant a lot to her to be the first to know. On the other hand, Ashley had always been involved, and she hadn't had the opportunity to hear the news directly from him and Hanna. " _I think... We should tell both of them at the same time_." He reached into his pocket to grab his phone, and pulled up his mother's contact. Hanna followed his lead and pulled up her own mother's contact. "Alright, on the count of three... one... two... _three_."

They traded glances while they waited for their mother's to pick up. Ashley was the first, but before her mother could utter the traditional telephone greeting, Hanna told her that she would have to hold on for a moment. Then, Claudia finally answered the phone, and they could finally share the news. "Okay, so we know you've both been anxious to find out whether you'll be having a grandson or granddaughter," Hanna began, giving Caleb a look that said to pick up where she left off. " _And we just got back from Hanna's OB, who told us..._ " He looked towards her, signaling for her to finish his sentence. "It's a boy. You're gonna have a grandson." Both mothers cheered and congratulated their children, clearly excited by the news. "Have you thought of names yet?" Claudia asked once the excitement died down. "Not yet, but I think we've ruled out Tom, Jamie, and Charles," she replied, causing Ashley to laugh. " _But we'll let you know when we decide on something_." Hanna nodded in agreement, even though she knew they couldn't see her. "Yes, definitely. Okay, we're gonna let you go now, but we'll call you back later, alright?" Both moms responded at the same time, making it awfully difficult for them to decipher a single response. "Love you," the couple said, almost in unison, before hanging up the phone.

" _That went well_ ," Caleb commented. Hanna nodded. "Yeah... We need to think of names." She'd thought of a few over the past few months, but none that she would actually give her child. Caleb was struggling to come up with something other than _Caleb Jr._ " _Why don't we head up to the bookstore and see if we can find one of those name books._ " He had a feeling that that book would be their best friend for the next couple of months, or until they decided to give up and name the kid something generic. "Sounds good. Can we get something to eat afterwards? Baby's hungry," she replied, gently caressing her bump. He reached over and rubbed it as well, and then pressed a kiss to her cheek. " _Of course. What's baby craving_?" The truthful answer would have been _anything_. At this point, she was just hungry. She didn't want anything in particular. But, to narrow down the list, she made something up. "I could go for a burger from The Grille." He nodded. "The Grille it is." He put the car in reverse, backed out of the space, and then set off for the restaurant.

* * *

They were seated fairly quickly, in a booth close to a window (as per Hanna's request). Caleb was flipping through the menu, trying to figure out what he wanted to order. Hanna was looking at something over his shoulder; a couple playing with their infant son, who was sitting in a takeaway high chair at the end of the table. She couldn't stop thinking about how that would be them in a matter of months. Of course, _their_ son would be better dressed. She was so focused on the other family that she didn't even realize Caleb was trying to talk to her. " _Han_ ," he said, grabbing her hand. That snapped her out of her dazed state. "Huh?" He gestured towards the waiter, who was standing there, waiting to take her order. "Oh, uh... Can I get a Grille burger and fries please?" Her eyes went back to the other diners the minute she finished speaking. Caleb looked over his shoulder to see what he was looking at, and then looked back at her. " _That's a cute kid._ " She nodded slowly. That was when the child started to cry and Hanna's every desire to focus on him and his parents disappeared. "Our kid will be cuter." Caleb nodded in agreement.

Hanna looked down at her bump. _Four months_. In four months, they were going to be holding a baby boy in their arms. "I hope he looks like you. Tall, beautiful brown eyes, great hair..." He grinned. " _I hope he has **your** eyes. Height and great hair will get him far, but eyes mean a lot more, and yours are much more beautiful than mine are._ " That struck a chord with the blonde, and tears started to roll down her cheeks. Curse those hormones. Caleb reached across the table to brush the tears away from her face. "Thank you," she said, almost breathlessly. " _No problem_." She took a quick swig of her water and set it back down on the table. "Maybe that's how we'll pick the name." There was a confused look on his face, so she continued. "It'll be easier to give him a name once we see him, right? So, why don't we narrow it down to like... four that we like, and pick when we see him for the first time." It would definitely put Hanna's monogramming plans off, but at least their son would have a fitting name. Caleb chewed on the idea for a moment, before nodding. " _Alright, fine_ ," he replied, clasping his hands together and then pulling them apart again. " _Two for you, two for me, and the names that we're definitely not gonna pick are... Charles, Tom, and Jamie, right_?"

The blonde nodded. She felt bad, outlawing Jamie from the mix, but Jamie to Caleb was her to Tom. The only difference was their current terms. Jamie was flighty in the past, but he was trying to get better about it, and he and Caleb were working things out. Tom, on the other hand, was too wrapped up in his new family to pay attention to Hanna. They hadn't actually spoken since Christmas, and that call was extremely brief and awkward. But neither Caleb nor Hanna wanted to name their child after someone flighty, whether their elusive nature existed in the past or the the present. As for the name Charles, they both agreed right off the bat that their child wasn't going to share a name with such a depraved villain. _Never in a million years_. "Any other names you want out of the running?" she questioned, taking another sip of her drink. " _Nope, I think that's it._ " A small grin tugged across the blonde's lips, and she reaches into her purse to grab the new book of names and begins to flip through it. "Good. May the best four names win."

* * *

 **Author's note:** Thanks for waiting patiently for this update, guys. I was stuck on the first paragraph for a long time, but I finally figured it out. You can probably count on two more updates throughout the next two weeks as well, to make up for the couple of weeks that I didn't update, since I'm on Spring Break and don't have much else to do with my time. As always, let me know what you think!


	11. Chapter 11

"My child is _not_ wearing that." Hanna glared at onesie in the picture Spencer had sent her. It was soft blue with "I love my mom," written in big gaudy lettering on the front. The message was good, but it looked tacky, and she didn't want anything about her son's wardrobe to be tacky. She hadn't gone through four years of design school to have her firstborn dress tacky. The blonde let out an exasperated sigh. In an hour of online shopping, she had only found a handful of onesies that she would actually spend money on. She rubbed her temples and closed her laptop. "Do you think I'm being too picky?" she questioned, looking over at her friend, whose attention seemed to be occupied by something on her phone. "Huh? No, not really." Hanna raised an eyebrow at her friend's distracted demeanor. She set her laptop down on the coffee table and leaned over to see if she could catch a glimpse of the screen, but Spencer hit the home button before she could see what it was. "What was that?" she questioned. She doubted she was actually going to get a truthful answer, but it was worth a shot. "Nothing." A thin line formed on the blonde's lips. "Spence..."

Spencer was doing it again; keeping secrets from her friend. But, just like last time, this was for a good cause. "How are you feeling?" she asked, locking her phone and putting it back into her pocket. Hanna gave her a confused look, but answered anyway. "Tired," she began, glancing down at her bump. "He kicked _all_ night." She hadn't been getting much sleep lately because of this, despite her and Caleb's best efforts to change that. "Is he kicking now?" Spencer asked, eyes also trailing down to her friend's bump. Hanna nodded, reaching for her friend's hand, and then pausing. "Do you wanna feel?" Spencer nodded. "Yeah, of course." The blonde guided her friend's hand to where the baby was moving. "Imagine having to deal with this all night, every night," the blonde chuckled, letting go of Spencer's hand and resting her arms behind her head. A near-inaudible, "Wow," escapes the brunette's lips.

"Does he have a name yet?" Hanna shook her head. "We're waiting until he's born." Spencer raised an eyebrow, but Hanna wasn't finished. "But I've got a couple of ideas." The young mother had read the name book cover to cover, highlighting, bookmarking, and dog-earring everything that caught her interest. "Care to share?" Spencer was genuinely curious about her best friend's plans. Hanna wasn't sure if she wanted to share, though. It wasn't a permanent list, and she hadn't even run any of the names by Caleb yet. For all she knew, he could come at her with a list that completely trumped hers, and they would choose all four off of his. That was a stretch, but it was still a possibility. "I can give you the first letters," Hanna offered, sitting up and resting both hands on the bump. "There's an L, an M, an O, and a C." Spencer's brow furrowed in thought. _Why had Hanna chosen such popular first letters?_ That made guessing so much more difficult. Spencer gave up after a moment or two. "C doesn't stand for Charles, does it?" she questioned, completely seriously. "You know I wouldn't go there. I was hesitant to even _look_ at the 'A' names," she admitted. "Luckily, I didn't like any of them."

Spencer pulled out her iPhone and lit the lockscreen to check the time, but was also greeted by a text from Emily. "Are you too tired to go somewhere with me?" Hanna shrugged. "I guess I could go somewhere. I'm not dressed for it though." She gestured towards her oversized teeshirt and pajama pants. "Well, why don't you go get dressed? I'll start the car." Hanna looked hesitant. She was comfortable where she was, in the clothes she was wearing. On the other hand, it would've been nice to get out of the house for a little bit. "Okay, but you're gonna have to help me up." Spencer chuckled and got off of the couch, extending her hands towards her friends to grab. "Thanks," the blonde said, pulling herself up and heading upstairs to get changed.

When she came back down, Spencer was waiting on the couch for her, and so was Caleb. "Hey, so I know we said we were gonna go somewhere together, but I think Caleb has somewhere he wants to take you." Hanna's gaze shifted between her friend and her fiance. " _Ready_?" The blonde nodded slowly, moving over to him. Spencer headed out the door, telling Hanna that she would see her later. If only the blonde had known how true that was.

* * *

This drive was giving Hanna a serious case of deja vu. She was with Caleb; he was driving, and she didn't know where they were going. "There's some kind of surprise attached to this, isn't there?" she questioned, looking over at him. His eyes remained on the road. " _What makes you think that, Han_?" The blonde shrugged, though she wasn't confused. She knew exactly what she was thinking when she said that. "It's just... The way things have been today. Spencer was way more distracted by her phone that she usually is, and then we made plans to go somewhere, but then _you_ showed up even though I thought you were supposed to be out with Toby today, and decided that _we_ were going to go somewhere, and now I don't know where we're going, and—" Caleb starts to laugh. " _Breathe, Han_. _Yes, there's a surprise attached to this_." Hanna pouted. She was beginning to hate surprises. Even though Caleb's surprises were always good surprises, she hated not knowing what was going to come out of them.

After about ten minutes of driving, Hanna knew where they were going to end up. All roads in Rosewood were familiar, but this was one of the most familiar: the road to Toby's house. Caleb had been there all day, helping Toby, Emily, Alison, Ashley, and Ted decorate for the **baby shower** , and using Spencer as a decoy back home. Now, he was pulling into the driveway again to show Hanna what they had come up with. "That's a lot of cars," Hanna commented, getting out of the car once he parked. " _Well, a lot of people are waiting for you_." She was trying to put two and two together, but she couldn't quite figure it out. It was a party, of course, but for what? It wasn't her birthday, and it wasn't Caleb's birthday. It wasn't any of her friend's birthdays, or else she would've been in the know. She was running out of ideas, but when Toby opened the door for them and she saw the interior of the house, it clicked.

It was a baby shower. _Of course_. After Toby, Spencer was the first person to greet them. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier," she said, embracing Hanna (rather awkwardly, considering the protruding baby bump). "It's okay!" she replied, pulling away and gripping Caleb's arm. "This was a good surprise." They headed towards the living room, where Ashley, Ted, Emily, and Alison were. One of Hanna's home movies from when she was younger was playing on the screen. Her cheeks immediately turned red when she saw the chubby young child digging into a chocolate cake with her bare hands. She scanned the room for the remote, wanting to put a stop to it, but she couldn't find it. "You couldn't find anything better to watch?" she questioned, standing in front of the television and crossing her arms. "What's a baby shower without baby stuff? Would you rather have your friends see you butt naked?" Ashley asked, reaching into her purse and grabbing another disk.

Hanna shook her head at that. Caleb was the only one allowed to see her in the nude, but even so, old videos were off limits. " _Maybe we should just turn off the TV_ ," Caleb suggested, soliciting a grin and a nod from Hanna. "That's alright. We have games, right? Where's Spencer?" As if on cue, Spencer entered the room with two light blue pin-on ribbons; one for Hanna, and one for Caleb. "We do," the tall brunette began, moving into the center of the room and grabbing a roll of yarn from the coffee table. Hanna knew what was coming, and she wasn't sure she was going to like it. "Alright, so the point of the game is to guess how big Hanna's bump is." Hanna rolled her eyes, saying, "Oh god." Caleb stepped out of the room to find Toby. He knew that, if he played, he would answer incorrectly and upset her, and he didn't want to upset her. "Closest person wins. Go!" The four guests formed a line, unrolling and cutting what they thought was the correct amount of yarn, and approaching the blonde to measure.

Hanna tried her best not to seem too annoyed about it. She knew that it was all in fun, and that they would never intentionally embarrass her, but it was difficult not to feel upset. Emily went first, and ended up cutting her yarn a few inches too short. That made the blonde feel a little bit better, but considering Emily's kind and polite demeanor, she wasn't sure if that was saying much. Alison was next. Unlike her girlfriend, she had cut the yarn a couple of inches too long; so long that it could wrap around her friend a time and a half. Ashley went next, and her cutting was much closer to the actual size, although she too was a few inches off. Not wanting to create any bad blood between him and his daughter-in-law, Ted passed on this round and sat down on the couch to watch. The last person to go was Spencer, whose piece of yarn was almost perfectly measured. Of course. The tall brunette possessed more spacial intelligence than everyone else in that room combined.

Spencer set the pieces of yarn aside and began to announce the next game, but the doorbell rang and interrupted everybody. "I'll be back," she said, exiting the room and leaving Hanna and everyone else to visit with each other. Hanna scanned the room, trying to figure out who might've been missing. Her mother and Ted were there. Emily and Alison were there. Caleb and Toby were in the other room, but they were there. _Who were they missing?_ "Toby, Caleb, can you come here please?" Spencer called from the front of the house. That was when Hanna decided to investigate. She left the room, informing everyone else that she would be back in a minute. As she exited the room, she kept thinking and rethinking the list of people who she knew were and weren't invited. The only people she knew that weren't invited but might've cared to show up were her father, Mona, and Aria, but those were all stretches. Her father was living in Delaware, and she highly doubted that he would make the trip up to Rosewood just for a baby shower. Hanna hadn't spoken to Mona in years. Their last interaction was a Spring Break they spent together in Florida, and that was at least two years ago. By the time Hanna had narrowed it down, she was matching name to face. _Aria_.

She was still incredibly upset with the shorter girl for sharing her news without her permission. Perhaps it wasn't worth the ignored texts and phone calls, and perhaps Hanna shouldn't have blocked her from all of her social media, but she was right to be upset. "What's she doing here?" Hanna asked coolly, crossing her arms over her chest. " _I don't know. She wasn't invited_ ," Caleb responded, looking at the other couple, suspicious that they might have added another person to the guest list without his approval. "Don't look at _me_ ," Toby commented, stepping away from the door. He didn't want anything to do with this. As far as he was concerned, they were just using his house for the party. "Alright, so I _might_ have blanked on this one," Spencer told them, shooting Hanna and apologetic glance. She was so used to inviting everyone to events like these that it was only natural for her to add Aria's contact to the group message. "Aria, maybe you should—" Hanna shook her head and raised a hand. "Let her in."

Caleb and Toby headed back into the living room to entertain the other guests. It seemed as if any time a party included more than just them, things went wrong. Caleb was strongly considering keeping these get-togethers significantly more intimate from now on. Hanna, Spencer, and Aria sat in the kitchen, trying to make sense of things. Well, Aria and Hanna were. Spencer was only there to make sure things didn't get out of hand. So far, it had been established that Aria wouldn't have said anything to her mother if she thought word was going to reach Ashley, and that she was sorry. That was all Hanna needed to hear. "I'm still really upset," the blonde commented, not quite making eye contact with her distant friend. "But I do want to put this behind us."

Aria looked relieved, though she couldn't bring herself to make eye contact with Hanna either. "So do I," she said softly, glancing down at the tiled floor beneath her chair. "You know, Ezra and I really wanted you and Caleb to be in our wedding party." Hanna frowned. "Well, we're sorry we missed it." Aria shook her head and looked up at the blonde. "You didn't... Miss it, I mean. It's coming up in a couple of months." Hanna looked at Aria, and then at Spencer, and then back at Aria. "I don't know." If she was going to be in the wedding party, then she would need to buy a dress, and that sounded incredibly stressful. Then there was the matter of whether or not she would actually be feeling up to it in a couple of months. She was fairly energetic now, but that energy was wavering more and more as the days went by. If it kept up, they would probably have to drag her to the ceremony. Aria looked disappointed, but her expression brightened a bit shortly afterwards. "Well, either way, you're still invited... If you want to be, that is. Invitations officially go out in two weeks."

Hanna nodded, but didn't say anything. Spencer took over the conversation and invited Aria back into the living room to play more shower games with them. It might have made the party a bit more awkward, but at least it would have been better than sitting around Toby's kitchen island making plans that might even be followed through. The three of them headed into the living room, and the sight of the shortest friend was enough to take both Emily and Alison by surprise. "Look who's here," Hanna announced, taking a seat next to Caleb on the couch and gesturing to Aria to sit anywhere else. "It's good to see you again, Aria," Ted said, ever the polite pastor. Ashley nodded in agreement. The other two girls couldn't say much, considering the amount of time they usually spent with their friend. Spencer moved back to the center of the room and announced the next game.

* * *

The party ended shortly after that. The guest cut the cake (which was filled with blue vanilla pudding), shared well wishes, and parted ways. Being the guests of honour, Hanna and Caleb were the last ones to leave. "Thanks again, guys," Hanna said, hugging both Toby and Spencer before heading towards the car. " _We'll text you once we get home_ ," Caleb added before following his fiance's lead. He couldn't wait to get to the car so that he could ask her what went down between her and Aria. When he left them alone in the foyer, there was hostility, but by the end of the party, it was as if they hadn't had any problems with each other.

"She wants us at her wedding, you know," Hanna told him, as if she had read his mind. " _Do you want to_ _go_?" he questioned, putting the keys into the ignition and starting on the road back to their house. "I don't know. I guess it could be nice." She still wasn't completely sold on the idea, but she wasn't against it either; the only reason for the lack of certainty was the timing and the wardrobe. " _It could be... We could find some inspiration for our wedding_." The thought of their own wedding brought a smile to Caleb's face. He couldn't wait for the day when we could call Hanna his wife, even though he knew it was going to be a while before they could even settle on a date. He just wanted to see her in her beautiful gown, with a white veil masking her face just right, promising him and listening to him promise her that they would love each other forever. She felt the same. "That's true."

Thinking about her own wedding made her like the idea just a bit more; enough to make her want to go to Aria's. "She said the invitations were coming out soon, so I guess we'll RSVP as soon as we get ours," she commented, looking over at him. He smiled back at her, but his eyes returned to the road soon afterward. He had already been in one accident on this road this year; he wasn't looking to get into another one. " _I feel kind of bad for them_ ," he began, a smirk tugging across his lips. " _If we show up, we'll automatically be the best couple there. We're gonna steal their thunder_."

* * *

 **Author's note:** Two chapters in 24 hours. I'm on a roll again! The next update should come either tomorrow or Tuesday, depending on what I end up doing tomorrow, but I think you're all gonna love it! Let me know what you thought about this, and thanks for reading!


	12. Chapter 12

Hanna was having serious doubts about showing up to this wedding. Aria had managed to find her a dress that matched what the bridesmaids would be wearing, but was both big and flattering enough to suit her pregnant figure, and she promised her friend that she would show up early to help with hair and makeup, but she wasn't feeling it. What she was feeling was pain. It wasn't constant; it would come and go, and come and go, lasting only for a few seconds at a time. She knew what they were, but she was afraid to take them at face value. Besides, Doctor Wilson had warned her about false contractions. For all she knew, she could've been dealing with those. The blonde stood, bent and leaning on the back of the couch, trying to breathe through the pain she was feeling. She stopped, however, when she heard her fiance's footsteps coming down the stairs. She didn't want him to see her like this and think that something was wrong. " _You look beautiful_ ," Caleb said, adjusting his tie as he walked towards her. "Thanks." There was a hint of pain in her smile, but Caleb didn't notice.

"Are you ready to go," she questioned, distancing herself from the couch and moving towards him instead. The pain had subsided yet again (thankfully), and she wanted to be in the car and on her way to the wedding before it came back. " _I was just about to ask you the same question_ ," he replied, wrapping his arms around her, bringing her close, and pressing a kiss to her lips once he was close enough. " _Go wait in the car. I'll grab the keys_."

The blonde waddled out to the car and got into the passenger seat. After a few minutes of waiting, she felt the pain again. If she had been counting the time between the pains, she would've known that it was six minutes; Doctor Wilson had told her to consider heading to the hospital once they hit the six minute mark. But Hanna wasn't counting. Once again, Caleb appeared at the most inconvenient time, and she was forced to try to cover up her pain with a smile. Once he was in the car with his seatbelt fastened, the male leaned over and kissed her fiancee on the cheek. " _Try not to upstage the bride, alright_?" he whispered, before putting the key in the ignition and pulling out of the driveway.

* * *

The highway was packed. Cars were packed bumper to bumper, and it looked as if they were going to be adding another hour or so to the drive. Caleb let out an exasperated sigh and rested back against the cushioning of the drivers' seat. Hanna tried her best to ignore the pain she was feeling. She looked over at her fiance, whose eyes were fixed on the car ahead of him. "Can you see where the jam ends from here?" She _sounded_ like she was in pain. He shook his head. The furthest he could see was a few cars up, and it looked as if they were far from the end as well. " _We're gonna be here for a while_... _Are you alright_?" he asked, taking his eyes off of the lines of cars for a moment to look at her. She nodded, but another surge of pain struck her midsection and caused her to grimace. Cue the concerned look from Caleb. If her tone of voice wasn't enough to tell him that something was wrong, her facial expression was. " _Was that a **contraction**_?" She nodded, and tears began to stream down her cheeks.

The male's dark eyes widened, and he scrambled to grab his iPhone. " _We should time these, right_? _That's what Doctor Wilson said_?" He had half a mind to get out of the car, grab Hanna, and bridal-carry her all the way to the hospital like some guy out of a movie, but he wasn't some guy out of a movie, and the best he could do was keep track of the contractions and hope traffic would clear up quickly. Hanna gripped his free hand, needing something other than the handle of the roof to hold onto. By Caleb's count, the contraction lasted a full minute, but it felt like more on her end. He ran his thumb over the back of her hand and mumbled words of encouragement, hoping that they would be enough to keep her calm for a while; if they worked, at least _one_ of them would be calm. Another contraction came shortly after; just a little bit over three minutes. Caleb was racking his brain, trying to remember what the OB-GYN had told them about the timing. They were supposed to make their way to the hospital at _six minutes_ , and active labor was supposed to start at— He was drawing a blank.

The contractions kept getting closer and closer together. Hanna forehead was beaded with sweat, and her hair was damp. Caleb's hand was sore from being squeezed so much, but he was too distracted by the current situation to notice. " _Han, I think... I think we're gonna have to move you to the back of the car_ ," he said, getting out and walking around to help her. Some of the surrounding drivers honked at him as he did, but he ignored them. If they knew what they were truly honking at, they wouldn't have. The blonde slid into the back seat and laid down, body perpendicular to the road. Caleb climbed in as well, glancing towards the front of the car to make sure he wasn't obstructing traffic any further. " _I'm gonna block you no matter what, but... The underwear is gonna need to come off_." The blonde didn't like the sound of that. They were in the middle of the highway. She didn't want random drivers to see her business, especially not in the condition it was now. But Caleb was shielding her, and she trusted him not to allow that to happen. So, she reached down and removed the fabric. From where Caleb was standing, he could have sworn he could see the top of the baby's head.

He didn't know anything about delivering babies, but there was no one there to help them. He needed to take charge and deliver his son. Since he couldn't offer her his hand to hold, he took off his tie and folded it. Perhaps biting on something would've been enough to distract her from the pain. " _Alright, Han, I'm gonna need you to push, okay_?" Hanna shook her head, but he persisted. " _Han, the sooner we get this baby out, the sooner we can get you to the hospital_." She was sobbing at this point. This wasn't how she pictured the birth of her firstborn. She wanted to be in a hospital, with enough drugs coursing through her veins for her to forget the pain. She wanted Caleb to wear the scrubs that were specifically set aside for fathers, and she wanted to wear one of those ugly pink hospital gowns. She didn't want to be in the middle of the a highway without any pain relief, having to hope and pray that she wouldn't bleed all over her dress. " _Han, push_." The blonde pushed, and screamed, and then pushed some more. Caleb waited with shaky hands to retrieve his son.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, he did. Traffic was still at a standstill, but now there was another person in the car with them. Hanna was so out of it that Caleb wasn't sure she even fully realized what just happened. He'd cut the cord on his own, with a Swiss Army knife and a foldable comb, bumped the newborn's back to free up his windpipe, and wrapped him in a blanket he was keeping in the trunk. Hanna was holding him now; Caleb had returned to the drivers seat, but was looking back at them fondly through the rear view mirror. " _You did good, Han_ ," he told her, trying to meet her eyes. "He's perfect," she replied, unable to take her eyes off of the infant's soft blue ones. They matched hers, just like Caleb had wanted them to. She ran her fingers through the tiny patch of dark hair he had on his head. It was just like Caleb's, but much softer.

A ringing cellphone interrupted their family moment; it was a call from Spencer, wondering where they were. Caleb took the call, allowing Hanna some time to rest. The blonde listened to his end of the call anyway though. " _Yeah, we're alright. It's this traffic, you know_?" There was a coy smile on his lips. He wasn't going to tell the others just yet. Hanna _knew_ he wasn't going to say anything. " _I don't know if we'll be able to make it up there_. _We already missed the wedding, and Hanna's pretty tired. Once we get out, I think we're just gonna head back._ " The new mother looked back down at the infant, who had just fallen asleep in her arms. "Someone else is tired too," she said softly, planting a soft kiss to the infant's forehead. Looking back on when she first found out she was pregnant, she regretted even questioning whether or not she wanted to keep this child. He was adorable. She was in love with him, and he wasn't even an hour old yet. " _Yeah, traffic's moving now. We're just gonna turn back, but we'll give you a call later, alright_?"

Hanna waited until she was sure Caleb had hung up the phone to speak up again. "Where are we gonna tell them?" she asked, trying to get comfortable without waking up the sleeping baby. " _Let's give it a couple of hours. Right now, we need to focus on getting you and Caleb Jr. to the hospital_." She smirked at him. "What makes you think we're calling him Caleb Jr.?" she asked, watching as the cars around them started to move again. " _Caleb's a great name._ " He was joking. That name wasn't even on the shortlist. The last time they talked about it, the list was made up of three names Hanna liked and one that he did; in hindsight, he hadn't picked the best names. "No it's not. I don't know why anybody would _ever_ want to name their child that." She was joking as well. " _Neither do I, honestly._ "

"I used to like Carson, but I think that would be a bit too ironic," she told him, using one hand to gesture around the car. "Like, that name just _screams_ 'born on a highway.'" He chuckled. " _Carson Toyota Rivers. How do you like the sound of that_?" The baby stirred in Hanna's arms. "Look at that. That name was so awful, it nearly woke him up." The couple laughed, softly, of course, so as not to actually wake the baby. "He looks like a Blake," Hanna said after calming down at bit. Caleb nodded, trying not to seem too smug. Blake was the only name of his that made it. That was part of the reason Hanna chose it. " _Blake Rivers has a nice ring to it... Blake Matthew Rivers. That was one of the names you liked, right, babe? Matthew?_ " It was Hanna's turn to nod. "Do you like that, Blake?" she questioned, as if the infant was actually able to understand or respond to her. "Blake it is."

* * *

It didn't take too long for them to get to a hospital. It was only a twenty minute drive between where they were and Rosewood. Hanna had fallen asleep cradling the infant, so Caleb tried his best to keep the drive as smooth as possible. When they got there, the nurses took Blake to the nursery, presumably to make sure he didn't need any intensive medical attention and to get his required shots, and Hanna to a room in the maternity wing. She was regretting wanting that ugly pink hospital gown now, but her only other option was the bloody dress, and there was no way she was going to stay in that for any longer than she needed to. Caleb followed Blake's nurses first, making sure everything was under control before heading over to the room they'd put Hanna in.

He sat down at the side of her bed and held her hand, gently caressing the back of it with his thumb. " _You can go back to sleep, you know._ " She smiled and shook her head. "I caught my second wind _._ " That wasn't completely true. She was still tired, but she doubted she was going to be able to fall back asleep until Blake was sorted out. Deep down, she knew everything was alright, but she just needed to hear it. Caleb wasn't completely convinced, but he didn't push it. " _Well, how are you feeling otherwise_?" She shrugged. "Sore." Her midsection still ached, and the medicine they had given her for pain was taking a while to kick in. "But good otherwise. Happy," she added. He pulled out his phone and began to scroll through his contacts list. " _Good enough to make the call_?" he questioned, stopping at Ashley's name. Hanna nodded, but then paused. "You don't want to call your mom first?" He shook his head. " _I want her to hear it from us this time_." He pressed the call button, and the two of them waited anxiously for her to answer the phone. They could hardly even wait until the phone clicked, signaling that she had answered, to start speaking.

"Mom, guess what?" Hanna began, sitting up so that she wouldn't sound like she was laying down. "What?" Ashley questioned. She sounded concerned, but the blonde wanted to play for a bit. "Well, we were on our way to Aria and Ezra's wedding, and there was a traffic jam." There was a sigh on the other end of the line; a relieved sigh. "So _that's_ why you didn't come," the red-headed grandmother began. "I was afraid something happened with the baby." Hanna and Caleb exchanged glances, and tried their hardest not to laugh. " _Well_..." Caleb interjected, still looking at Hanna. " _That's kind of why we called you_." Silence, and then more concerned from Ashley. "What happened?" She sounded afraid. Hanna felt bad for dragging this out for so long, but she knew her mother would be happy when they finally got the point across. " _Your grandson decided that the highway was the perfect place to make his first appearance._ " More silence. "Hanna, did you—" The blonde nodded, as if her mother could see her through the phone. Just then, the nurses wheeled Blake back into the room in a hospital bassinet. "Yeah... Would you like to meet your grandson?" she questioned, signalling to one of the nurses to bring the bassinet closer to the bed, and then taking the phone away from Caleb and starting FaceTime. "This is Blake Matthew Rivers," she said dreamily, holding the phone just above the baby's body.

The older woman cooed at her newborn grandson through the phone, bringing a smile to both Hanna and Caleb's faces. "You can come by and see him if you want. I think they wanna keep us here overnight, and I would love for you to see him in person." It took all of two seconds for the older woman to make up her mind. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes. Do you want me to bring you anything?" she asked, before telling Ted to start the car. Hanna looked at Caleb, who shook his head. "Just bring yourself." That ended the call, and Hanna handed the phone back to Caleb. "We should probably call your mom now," she suggested, reaching into the bassinet and taking Blake out. " _On it_ ," he replied, tapping his mother's contact name and pressing the dial button. " _She's gonna wanna come out and visit_ ," he said, more to himself as the phone rang. " _Mom, guess what_?" he began, mimicking Hanna's greeting to her own mother. "Did Hanna have the baby?" Claudia asked. Caleb shot Hanna a surprised look. He hadn't expected her to guess correctly on the first try. " _Yeah. Wanna see him_?" Before she could respond, he switched the phone over to FaceTime and held the camera out in front of them so it could capture the three of them. Then, he brought it closer so the camera was only on Blake. "Blake Matthew Rivers," he informed, shutting FaceTime off and going back to the audio call. More cooing from a different grandmother. "We would love it if you came out here to meet him, Claudia," Hanna said, styling the infants dark tufts with her fingers. " _And bring the boys._ "

"We'll be on the first flight out of LAX in the morning," the woman promised. " _Alright. We'll see you then_ ," Caleb replied before ending the call. He checked the time on his phone, and then showed it to Hanna. " _Think the reception's over yet_?" She shook her head. It had only been a couple of hours. "No... But we can text them all later." Caleb grinned. " _Sounds perfect_ ," he replied, leaning down to kiss his fiance, and then even further down to kiss his son. Hanna yawned. The sudden burst of energy was gone now. "Do you want to hold him?" she asked sleepily. Caleb nodded. He hadn't actually had a chance to hold the child since they were on the highway, and even then, it was only for a couple of moments. "Of course."

* * *

 **Author's note:** I saw that a lot of you wanted Caleb to deliver the baby himself, and even though they weren't in the middle of a storm like some of you wanted, I tried my best to give you what you asked for! Let me know what you think!


	13. Chapter 13

"You have some visitors," the nurse announced as she entered the room. Four young women followed suit, each with hands full of gifts for Hanna and Blake. "Hey," Hanna said softy, cradling the infant in her arms. "You're gonna have to be quiet. He just fell asleep." All four girls took their seats around Hanna's hospital beds, practically craning their necks for a good look at the newborn. "Where's Caleb?" Emily asked, taking a quick look around the room. "He should be home. I don't get discharged until noon, and he didn't get any sleep last night, so I told him to go get some rest... Knowing him, though, he's probably fast asleep behind the nurses' station or something." She chuckled at the thought of the tall male curled up beneath the system of desks that made up the nurses' station, soliciting concerned looks from the people who worked there. She immediately regretted it when Blake began to stir and opened his eyes.

Spencer was the first to acknowledge them. "His eyes are so blue," she commented, repositioning herself so that Aria could see without having to lean in too far. "Yeah, I never really realized how nice mine looked until I looked into his... Well, he's up now. Does anyone wanna hold him?" she asked, looking at Spencer first, and then at the others. "Can I?" Spencer asked. Hanna nodded and carefully handed her son ever to the lanky brunette. "Make sure you support his head. He can't do that on his own yet," she advised, a hint of concern in her voice. Spencer was the first person who wasn't either a parent, grandparent, or hospital personnel to hold Blake, so Hanna wanted to make sure that there wouldn't be any trouble. "Relax, Han. Auntie Spencer's got this. Right, Blake?" A look of fear took to her face when the infant began to squirm and fuss in her grasp, only disappearing once he stopped. "Is he okay?" Aria asked, looking from Spencer, to Blake, to Hanna. "Yeah," she replied, though she really wasn't sure. "He's probably just cranky... Just give him back to me." Reluctantly, Spencer handed the child back over to Hanna, who went back to cradling and gently rocking him. "But even though Blake's not feeling up to it right now, I'm glad you're here."

"I can't believe you gave birth on a highway," Spencer said (just as everyone else wanted to), making cutesy faces at the infant, who just huffed and stared at her blankly. "On my wedding day," Aria chimed in, attention also focused on Blake. "And named your child _Blake_." Everyone turned to look at Alison, who played it off as if she was innocent. "What?" Emily looked at Hanna as if she was ready to apologize on her girlfriend's behalf, but Alison elaborated before she actually could. "Remember that guy from American Idol? Nobody really thought he was gonna win because he was up against Jordin Sparks... And he didn't? Hanna, you just named your child after a failed American Idol contestant." All eyes were on Hanna now, scared for her reaction. "I never really liked the name Jordan," she replied nonchalantly. She wasn't too happy that Alison was making fun of her naming choices, but this was the first time she and the other four had been together in months and she didn't want to be the one to lash out and ruin it.

Aria, Spencer, and Emily shared awkward glances, hoping that that would be the end of the discussion between the two blondes. Hanna tugged awkwardly on the sleeves of her sweatshirt, trying to come up with a way to divert the conversation. "Did it hurt?" Emily asked, taking the cue and soliciting incredulous looks from the other three. "Of course it hurt, Em," Ali interjected. "Hey now," Hanna said, trying to put an end to the snarkiness. "Yeah, it did... They don't have epidurals on the highway, you know, and Caleb's back seat is pretty cramped." She made a show out of stretching her back, even though it didn't really hurt that much anymore. "Guess we know where baby number two _won't_ be made," Spencer joked. "If I wasn't holding my infant son in my arms, I would smack you right now," Hanna joked, shooting her a look. "Ooooh! Watch out, Spence, Mama Bear's got claws," Alison warned, mockingly.

Hanna rolled her eyes. "You guys better not give me anything to joke about when you have kids." The other four laughed, exchanging glances. "Let me just bow out right now," Alison said, crossing her arms over her chest and earning a concerned look from Emily in the process. "If Ezra and I collaborate on _anything_ in the near future, it's gonna be a book." More laughter from the five of them. "Alright, well don't go all Fifty Shades on us now," Spencer joked, before looking back at Hanna, who was looking at her, interested to hear what she had to say. "Oh— Toby and I haven't even talked about it yet," the brunette said, raising her hands in surrender. "But with my luck, I'll probably be crowning in the back of his pickup truck this time next year." Hanna couldn't help but laugh as that, even as the infant began to stir in her arms. "We're really gonna have to keep it down," she said, softening her tone. "But Spence... You're classier than that. Aim for the front seat instead."

The blonde sighed when Blake began to whimper. "Okay, he's not having it today... I'm sorry, but maybe you guys should go. We can catch up another time," she suggested, resting the child against her shoulder and grimacing when his whimpers turned into a full-blown cry. "When he's better rested." The other four nodded in agreement and got up to leave, first saying their goodbyes to each other, and then to Hanna. As soon as they were out of sight, she started to pout. "That's alright, Blake. Mom's probably gonna cry when you try to hang out with your friends too."

* * *

"How's she holding up?" Toby asked, stepping ahead of Caleb into the nursery. "Good! She's a trooper," the shorter male replied, following behind with a box of tools and setting it down on the floor. "That's good... So, you want me to check everything?" Caleb nodded. He'd put all of the furniture together weeks ago, and even though everything _seemed_ alright, he needed to be sure that he wasn't putting Blake to sleep in a death trap every night. Toby made his way around the room, checking the crib first, then the changing table, then the rocking chair (though he was _sure_ he didn't need to test that). "Everything seems fine," he said, turning to Caleb, who was leaning against the front wall of the room. " _Are you sure_?" he asked, looking around. _Of course_ he was sure. If Toby could build a house on his own, he could tell whether or not a crib was stable.

"You know, you're gonna be doing this for your own kid someday," Caleb said, grabbing the toolkit and heading back towards the stars. "Hopefully someday soon," Toby replied, causing Caleb to stop and turn around. "Are you and Spencer—" He put his hands up and shook his head. "No... I mean, I don't know. We talked about it, but we haven't decided anything yet." Caleb chuckled. "Well, it's better to talk about it before than after." He and Hanna had decided afterwards, and the amount of time it took them to do so was stressful, especially since they had a time limit. While the thought was still fresh in his mind, he made a mental note never to put himself or her in that position again. "But what does she think about it so far?" he questioned, starting down the stairs again. Toby shrugged. "She's still kind of lukewarm. She's _interested_ , but I don't think she wants it to happen now, which is perfectly fine with me. The more time I get alone with her, the better."

The shorter male glanced at the time on his watch. 11:30am. He was supposed to leave to pick up Hanna and Blake soon, and he hadn't even slept yet. The feeling of sleep deprivation was beginning to set in, but he couldn't zone out now. The next couple of hours were crucial; he wanted Blake to come home to a perfect home, with a father who was both present and _awake_ to spend time with him, and that couldn't happen if he was unconscious. "Well, as great as it would be for Blake to have some friends, you guys should take your time." A yawn left his lips. He was definitely regretting not taking that nap. "I think I'm gonna make some coffee. Do you want some?" he questioned, turning in the direction of the kitchen. Something told him that he would be running on liquid caffeine for the next couple of months. Toby shook his head, following in Caleb's path. "No, I'm fine," Toby replied, reaching for his phone to check the time but pausing to read the notifications. "Actually, I think I might head out now. Spencer needs a ride back from the hospital." Caleb raised an eyebrow. "She's in the hospital?" Toby nodded. "To visit Hanna, remember?" The new father nodded slowly. Forget coffee and a nap; he needed a full night's sleep. Maybe two at this point. "So... I'm gonna go. Call me if you need anything else." The taller male turned on his heels and headed towards the door, leaving Caleb alone in the house.

The dark-haired male sighed and continued towards the kitchen, starting the coffeemaker once he got there. He tried his best not to think about how tired he was, but the more he tried not to think about it, the more he felt it. Within moments, his eyes were closing, and he found himself drifting off against the refrigerator. It was a rather uncomfortable place to rest, but it was the best he could do without leaving the coffeemaker unattended or trying his luck with the breakfast table furniture. Before he could fully fall asleep, though, he was interrupted by the sound of his text tone. He yawned, reached into his pocket, and read the notification on the screen. It was a text from Hanna, saying that she was ready to be picked up as well. Caleb hadn't expected her to be released so soon. Before he left, the nurse told him 12:15, but it wasn't even 11:45 yet and the young mother was ready to go. He couldn't say he minded though. The sooner he could have Blake and Hanna home, the better. He stared longingly at the coffee pot, which had only just finished brewing his beverage. Hastily, he poured himself a takeaway cup, dumped random amounts of creamer and sugar into the hot liquid, grabbed his keys, and headed out to retrieve his fiancee and son.

* * *

"Look, Daddy's here," Hanna said, hoping the baby would calm down once he saw Caleb. The male set the car seat down on the tiled floor, and moved closer to the bed, carefully taking the baby away from his fiancee. " _How long has he been crying_?" he asked, bouncing a little bit as he walked around the room with the baby. "At least forty-five minutes. On and off, but still." Just looking at Hanna, Caleb could tell she was stressed. He felt bad for having left her there, even if that was what she asked him to do. "Well, maybe the car ride will calm him down," he suggested, gesturing in the direction of the carrier. "I'm not carrying a crying baby through the hospital, Caleb." Caleb frowned, but continued to move around with the child, hoping the movement would lull him to sleep, or at least calm him down enough for them to take him home peacefully. After another minute or so, it worked, and Blake's loud wails became soft whimpers, which became silence. "Maybe we won't have to," the male said softly, moving towards the infant carrier and putting the newborn to sit inside. "There you go. All buckled up."

Hanna seemed to relax once Blake did, and got up to put her shoes on and put her bag together. Normally, she would have been ashamed to be seen wearing a t-shirt and sweats in public, but after pushing an eight-pound baby out of her body without any drugs, she felt as if she was entitled to _at least_ one day of slacker apparel. A nurse came in with a wheelchair for the blonde, and once she was sitting comfortably and ready to be taken to the car, Caleb lifted the carrier and took the lead. He'd tried his hardest to find a spot that wasn't too far from the door, but it seemed as if everyone in Rosewood had some sort of ailment today. The best he could do was a spot at the far end of the garage. Needless to say, he was thankful that hospital protocol prevented his fiancee from leaving on her own two feet. He put Blake into the car first, frowning ever so slightly at the bloodstain that was still on the seat, and made sure his seat was safely fastened to the actual seat. Hanna sat in the back seat as well, just in case the child needed her en route. Then, Caleb got into the car, put the keys in ignition, and began to drive home.

The movement of the car seemed to lull the infant to sleep, and Hanna couldn't help but close her eyes for a minute as well. When Caleb came to the first stoplight, he glanced at the duo in the rear view mirror. He couldn't see Blake, since his seat was facing the rear of the car, as opposed to the front like other seats, but he could clearly see Hanna nodding off. He was hoping to have a chance to talk to her on the way home, but her health was much more important to him than whatever meaningless conversation he could conjure up with her within the next fifteen minutes. He yawned, trying hard not to think about the sleep they were getting, and regretting not taking the nap when Hanna told him to.

The blonde snapped out of her sleep-like state once the car almost immediately after the car pulled into the driveway and rubbed her eyes. "We're already here?" she asked, looking over at the baby, who was fast-asleep. "Fifteen minutes on the dot," he replied, unfastening his seatbelt and walking around to help her out. She stretched and headed into the house while Caleb lifted the infant out of the carrier and brought him into the house. "He grunts in his sleep," he commented, closing the door as gently and quietly as he possibly could behind him, and then moving closer to Hanna so that she could hear. "Is he supposed to do that?" she questioned, eyes wide with concern. They only just left the hospital; she didn't want to take him back so soon (or _ever_ , for that matter). Caleb nodded. The night before, when he was having trouble falling asleep, he decided to do a little bit of research. While a lot of it didn't stick (thanks to the lack of sleep), that was one of the few things that that. "He's fine. He's just getting used to breathing." That didn't do much to get rid of the concerned look on the young mother's face, or the worry in her heart. "Can I take him?" she asked, putting her arms out.

Gently, Caleb handed her the baby, and she walked up to the nursery with him. "My mom's flight is supposed to be coming in soon," he mentioned. Hanna gave him a blank look. "Remember last night, when we called her and she said she would be taking the first flight out of LAX? Well, she did. She and the boys. They're gonna be here soon." Hanna had completely forgotten. She wasn't in the mood for more visitors at the moment, let alone people she hardly knew, but there was no way that she was going to tell Caleb that. "What time is their flight coming in?" He pulled out his phone to check his texts. "1:45. It's 12:30 now." Hanna sighed. "Are they coming to us, or are we picking them up?" Her mind went back to the bloodstain in the car. His did too, and he scrolled further up in his messages to find the answer. "They're getting a rental." Hanna breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God." Caleb beat Hanna to the door and opened it for her. "His first time in his room and he's not awake to see it," she commented, setting the infant down in his crib. "We can reintroduce it to him later," Caleb suggested, leaning against the wall as he watched his fiance kiss the infant's cheek. "Right. But for now," she began, moving closer to him until she was only a hair's breath away. "Sleep." With that, she disappeared down the hallway and through the door of their own bedroom. Caleb followed behind, ready to catch up on the sleep he'd missed out on before.

* * *

 _ **Author's note:** Thanks for reading, guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It's been a busy couple of weeks, which is why updates have been slow, but things should speed up within the next few weeks. As always, reviews are always appreciated, and so are suggestions. Love you guys!_


	14. Chapter 14

"Blake, please." The blonde was currently bouncing the sobbing infant on her hip, trying (and failing) to soothe him. She might've been able to if she knew what was wrong with him, but she didn't. "I know you're not hungry, because you wouldn't eat when I tried to feed you. I know you're not tired, because you wouldn't sleep when I put you in your crib. I know you're not dirty, because I just changed you. You're not lonely, because I'm holding you and you're _still_ crying. So, what's the problem?" she questioned, as if Blake could respond to her. She wished he could; maybe then, she could give him what he needed and get some peace and quiet.

An exasperated sigh escaped the blonde's lips as she turns on her heels to exit the nursery. She hadn't wanted to wake Caleb up; he had a full day of work ahead of him and needed the rest, but she needed Blake to stop crying so that she could go back to sleep and get the rest that she needed. "We're gonna talk to daddy, okay? Maybe he can figure out what you need," she assured (more for her own sake than for Blake's), gently patting the child's back as she carried him back to the master bedroom. Caleb was already awake and waiting when they got there, looking just as exhausted as she was. "Nothing's working," Hanna began, handing the child to his father and crawling into bed. The male put the infant against his shoulder, picking up where Hanna left off and patting his back gently as he tried to come up with a solution. "Did he eat at all?" Caleb questioned, glancing over at Hanna, who looked as if she was going to fall asleep sitting up. "No, he didn't want to." A puzzled expression replaced his sleepy one. "Are you sure he's _your_ son?"

The cold glare that followed gave Caleb chills. "Sorry. He's not tired because he just woke up... Did you change him?" Hanna nodded. "He might as well be the cleanest baby in Rosewood." The father pursed his lips. All the bases were covered, or so he thought. "Here, take him for a moment. I'm gonna look this up," he told her, handing her the baby and then reaching for his phone. Hanna propped the baby up on her legs, a small part of her hoping that a change in position would calm the child. But it didn't.

It took about five minutes for Caleb to find something. Blake was still crying, and Hanna still looked like she was ready to pass out. "Has he worn that onesie before?" he questioned, gesturing for Hanna to hand the baby back to him. "Caleb, it's almost three am. Do you think that's something I would remember at three am?" The male rolled his eyes, not caring whether or not she saw. "Just guess," he replied, a bit too shortly. Hanna shook her head, as if that was going to jog her memory. "No, I don't think he has." Caleb nodded slowly before setting the baby down in the space between them and starting to strip him. Hanna helped, setting the garment aside once it was off. Within what seemed like seconds, Blake's wails turned into whimpers. "That's it? He put up that huge fuss, just because he didn't like his outfit?"

Caleb chuckled. "I guess he is your child after all." Cue another glare from Hanna. "Alright, alright. Go back to sleep. I'll put him back in his crib," he told her, picking Blake up and starting back towards the nursery. Hanna curled up under the covers, ready to get back to sleep. The baby would be awake again in a few hours, and she wanted to get as much sleep as she possibly could before then. Caleb returned moments later and snuggled up to his fiancee. "We're letting him sleep naked from now on," he mumbled, wrapping an arm around Hanna, who let out a yawn. Normally, she would've protested; dressing Blake was one of her favourite things to do, but she didn't want him to be uncomfortable. "As long as he's happy." Her eyes were growing heavier, so she shut them. "You should get some sleep," she began, voice as somnolent as ever. "You have work in the morning."

The blonde couldn't see it, but Caleb was smiling at her. "You're right," he replied, releasing his grasp on her for just a moment so that he could prop himself up and peck her cheek. Hanna smiled sleepily. This wasn't some huge gesture, but it still made her feel like one of the happiest people in the world. Caleb usually had that effect on her. "Goodnight," he whispered, before returning to his original position; lying on his side with his arm wrapped around her torso. "I love you."

* * *

Hanna woke up again at eight. Caleb was already awake and getting ready for work. He was currently standing in front of the full-length mirror that was mounted on their bedroom door, buttoning his light blue Oxford shirt. She didn't greet him right away; she was too distracted by the action. It wasn't until he turned around that she gained the presence of mind to speak. "Did you sleep well?" she asked, sitting up on the bed and folding her hands in her lap. He nodded. "Like a baby." Hanna scoffed, but after thinking about it for a second, realized he wasn't lying. They'd both slept like babies; their sleep schedule was built around Blake's. "Did you?" Caleb asked, reaching for his tie and attempting to tie it. The operative word was _attempting_. Hanna watched him struggle with the thin piece of fabric, and after witnessing two failed attempts, she stepped in. It was weird; she could've sworn that she saw him tie one before. "I've got it," she told him, getting out of bed and walking towards where he was standing. In a matter of moments, the tie was tied and Caleb was free to get back to whatever else he needed to do. "Thank you," he said, pressing a tender kiss to her lips before turning back towards the mirror. "Don't mention it," the blonde replied, heading towards the bathroom to brush her teeth.

As soon as the toothbrush made contact with her mouth, the sound of a crying baby filled the room. "Caleb, can you get him?" Hanna called, not wanting to leave the bathroom with a mouthful of toothpaste foam. "Already on it," Caleb replied, already halfway to the nursery. The blonde finished brushing and headed towards the infant's room herself. By that time, the crying had died down. Hanna entered to see Caleb sitting in the rocking chair, cradling the infant, who was now cooing happily. She wished she hadn't left her cellphone in the bedroom; this was definitely a photo-worthy moment. "I can take him, if you wanna finish getting ready," she told him, leaning against the changing table. "Yeah, of course," he replied, pressing a kiss to the baby's forehead before handing him to her and turning on his heels to head back to the bedroom. "Where's mine?" Hanna asked, a fake pout on her lips. "Right," he replied, kissing her as well, and then going back to his business.

With a smile on her face, Hanna shook her head and looked down at the baby in her arms. "You lucked out, kiddo," she whispered. "You ended up with one of the best guys in the world as your dad." Hanna couldn't help but be slightly jealous of the child. He was going to grow up in a household with parents who loved each other; not only that, but unless some twisted act of fate stole Caleb away from them, he was going to be in their lives forever. God-willing, Blake wasn't going to have to deal with divorced parents or an absentee father like she did. It took Caleb's return to the room to snap her out of those thoughts. "I'm heading out," he told her, leaning against the doorframe. "I'll see you when you get back then," Hanna replied, moving towards him. "What do you want for dinner?" He shrugged. "Surprise me." Hanna loved that kind of answer, mainly because her usual response to 'surprise me' started with a call to their favourite pizzeria and ended with them both indulging in the cheesy goodness. "Sounds good... I love you." Caleb grinned. "I love you too, Han," he replied. "And I love you too, Blake," he added, running his thumb along the infant's hairline. "See you later." With that, he was on his way.

Hanna saw him on his way, as she usually did, following him down the stairs and standing in the front doorway until she could no longer see his car. Never in a million years did she think this was the life she would be living at twenty-three years old. Up until the end of high school, she wasn't even sure she wanted kids, and she was adamant on not staying in Rosewood any longer than she needed to. Instead, she pictured herself building her own fashion empire (or at least being a part of someone else's), but now here she was, a stay-at-home mom in the heart of Rosewood. Even though she loved her little family with every fiber of her being, and even though their little suburban home was straight out of one of her dreams, she wasn't sure that this was where she wanted to be. She wanted more out of life. She craved it.

The sound of Blake's cries snapped her out of her thoughts. "You're probably ready to eat now, huh?" she asked, stepping back into the house and closing the door behind them. The last time the infant had eaten was before this morning's clothing fiasco, so he must've been hungry. "Don't worry. I've gotcha."

* * *

It wasn't long after that that Spencer texted her in desperate need of a study break. Caleb being at work all day meant Hanna was the only adult in the house, and even though she enjoyed the solitude some days, she craved social interaction on others. Today was one of the latter. She obliged Spencer's request, and within fifteen minutes, her friend was in her living room, sitting on her couch, playing with her son. "He's getting so big," the brunette commented, admiring the infant who was making grabby hands at her. "I know," Hanna replied, glancing down at Blake. "He's growing up way too fast." Spencer grinned. "I can't believe—" Hanna put a hand up, stopping her from saying what she was going to say next. "I know where he was born. I was there. There's still a stain." Hanna grimaced, thinking about the blood stain that, despite several trips to the car wash, was still very much present in Caleb's back seat. "It's still pretty unbelievable," Spencer replied, giving her friend a gentle nudge.

"Anyway," Hanna began, wanting to change the topic of conversation. "How's that law school treating you?" If Hanna recalled correctly, her friend had started taking courses at UPenn a few weeks ago and, like Caleb, was commuting between Philadelphia and Rosewood daily. Spencer sighed. "It's kicking my a—" She paused, looking down at Blake and then up at Hanna, and then correcting her statement accordingly. "Butt. It's kicking my butt." Hanna chuckled at her friend's correction. "Hey, at least it's only three years." The brunette started to laugh, but stopped within seconds. "Hanna, can you hold Blake for a moment?" she asked. The request caught Hanna off guard (her friends usually couldn't put Blake down whenever they came over), but she heeded it anyway, taking the baby back from her friend. Spencer bolted out of the room as soon as Hanna had a secure grasp on the child. "Spence?" Hanna called, getting up from the couch to follow the taller female. "Spence, are you alright?"

It took Hanna a moment to catch up with Spencer, and she might not have found it at all if it weren't for the retching sound coming from the bathroom. Her first thought was to follow her friend into the small room, but she wasn't sure if whatever she had was contagious, and the last thing she wanted was for Blake to get sick. "Hey, do you want me to call Toby for you?" she asked, resting against the door frame, face riddled with concern. "N-no," Spencer replied. The retching sound continued, and at this point, Hanna was feeling pretty nauseated herself. "Okay, well you're puking in my bathroom, so I have to do _something_." She paused. "Hold on, I'll be right back." She couldn't do anything if she was still holding Blake, so she went back to the living room and set him down in the bassinet, and then returned to the bathroom to check on Spencer. "Have you been feeling sick this whole time?" The blonde asked, digging through the cabinet to see if she could find a thermometer. Spencer nodded, wiping her mouth on some toilet paper. "Geez." Hanna closed the cabinet, thermometer in hand, and stuck it under her friend's shoulder. "It's stress. Law school is stressful," Spencer insisted, attempting to stand up. "Stay down. Since when do you puke when you're stressed?"

Hanna knew it wasn't the most appropriate question to ask her friend, but something didn't add up. They went through two years of -A taunts together, and while Spencer suffered a mental breakdown about halfway through it, she couldn't recall her ever becoming physically ill. Either this was something new, or law school was more stressful than dealing with a homicidal stalker. "I don't know... Since school started?" The blonde was extremely concerned at this point. The thermometer beeped and Hanna reached for it, hoping it would provide them with an explanation, but the temperature it displayed was within normal limits. Spencer attempted to get up again, and this time, Hanna decided to help her. "Do you have any other symptoms?" Hanna asked, grabbing a rinse cup, filling it with water and mouthwash, and handing it to her friend. It was a moment before Spencer replied; she was too busy trying to wash out her mouth. Spencer had a few, but wasn't comfortable with disclosing them with her friend, so she simply shook her head. "That's weird." Spencer shrugged. "Not that weird. It makes sense."

The blonde opened her mouth to speak again, but was interrupted by Blake's crying. "You're sure you don't want me to call Toby?" Hanna asked, stepping out of the bathroom and gesturing towards the living room. "I'm sure he would be glad to take you home and take care of you." Spencer nodded. "Yeah, it's fine. I feel better already." Everything about this seemed odd to Hanna, but if Spencer insisted that she was fine, she couldn't easily tell her that she wasn't. "Okay, well no more Blake time for you for a bit. I know you're his godmother, but he hasn't had all his shots yet, and I don't want him getting sick." Spencer put her hands up in surrender. "Alright, Mama Bear. Calm down." Hanna smirked at her. The nickname wasn't one she would've chosen for herself, but it was fun to hear, regardless. She picked Blake up and began to play with him, turning his cries into laughter, while her friend sat on the couch and watched. "Is he always so quick to calm down?" Spencer asked, resting her hand on her stomach for a brief moment. "Not always. Caleb and I spent almost an hour trying to ca— Wait!" she exclaimed when she noticed the position of Spencer's hand. It might have been a natural action, but to Hanna, it might have been the missing link. "Spence, are you...?"

Spencer looked at her for a moment, unsure of what she was referring to. Hanna, wanting to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible, continued her question. "Pregnant?" More silence from Spencer. Hanna took a seat on the couch next to her friend and put Blake to sit on her lap. "Spence, you can tell me. You were the first to know about Blake, remember?" Spencer shrugged. "Maybe." Hanna raised an eyebrow. "Maybe? So you're not sure?" Spencer nodded. "I haven't taken a test yet, no." Hanna frowned. "You're going to have to soon," she told her, reaching for her friend's hand and grasping it gently. "If it's positive, I'm screwed," Spencer responded, tears beginning to well up in her deep brown eyes. "Hey, come on... It'll be okay. You have a great support system. Me, Caleb, Toby, Aria, Emily, Alison... We've got your back." Spencer still seemed pretty upset, so Hanna handed Blake over to her, hoping that would calm her down. "And I'm sure Blake wouldn't mind having a little friend to play with."

That seemed to calm the brunette down a bit, though she was still visibly distraught. "That would be cute, wouldn't it?" Hanna nodded. "Just imagine the play dates. We'll gossip over coffee, the kids'll play in the living room. It'll be perfect." Spencer liked the idea of that, but the frown remained on her face. "That doesn't make the timing any less awful," she commented, handing the baby back to Hanna. "I still have three more years of law school. Do you know how difficult that's going to be if I have a kid?" Hanna frowned. That had completely slipped her mind, but now that she was thinking about it, that was quite the inconvenience. "You're right... But hey, maybe this is all in your head. I'm not a doctor. I'm just calling it as I see it. You might not even _be_ pregnant." Spencer nodded, focusing on a wrinkle in the rug beneath her feet. "I should take a test..."

Hanna rose from the couch and grabbed her keys off of the coffee table. "Come on." Spencer looked up at her, confused. "I'm taking you to CVS to buy some pregnancy tests." Spencer hesitated for a moment, but stood up as well. "Can Blake go out dressed like that?" Hanna glanced down at the baby, who was still in his onesie from earlier. Normally, Hanna would've taken him upstairs and put him in something a bit more presentable, but she wanted Spencer to get this done as soon as possible (and didn't want a repeat of last night's clothing fiasco). "He'll be fine. Let's go." Without another word, Hanna grabbed the diaper bag, turned on her heels, and headed out the door, with Spencer following closely behind.

* * *

They returned about thirty minutes later with five tests (Hanna insisted on Spencer taking more than one, just in case) and a gallon of water. Blake was falling asleep by then, so Hanna instructed Spencer to drink the water while she went upstairs to put the child down. "I should be studying," was the first thing Spencer said to her when she got back. Hanna couldn't argue with that, but she shook her head anyway. "You came over here for a study break, remember?" The brunette sighed, knowing her friend was right. "Just get this done, and then you can get back to your books." Another sigh from the taller female. She knew Hanna was right, but she wanted this to be over so that she could stop thinking about it. Instead of responding, she took another long sip from the gallon. Hanna turned the television on to pass the time. They finished two episodes of Grey's Anatomy before Spencer got up to take the tests. Hanna, not wanting to be _that_ friend, waited outside the door until Spencer came back out. "Now, we wait."

This experience took Hanna back to when she was waiting on the results of her pregnancy test. Things happened much more quickly then, but it seemed their attitudes towards an impending pregnancy were the same, as were the circumstances through which the idea popped into their heads. She could only hope that Spencer would be more accepting of the news than she was. She spent the first three or so months of her pregnancy unsure of whether or not she even wanted the child, and nearly damaged her relationship with Caleb in the process, and she couldn't bear to watch the same thing happen to her best friend. But she knew how demanding Spencer's life was. Her law school status was just one of the many hats she wore. On top of that, she was working on her mother's campaign for Pennsylvania senate, interning at a law firm, and continuing to build a resume that most aspiring lawyers could only dream of possessing. Even with the alternative options on the table, she was sure that this would be the source of a number of problems for her friend between now and whenever the decision that was made was completed. The timer beeped at the end of the five minutes, and Hanna was the first to get up to go check the results. Spencer followed suit, much less energetically.

"Are you ready for the verdict?" Hanna asked, standing directly in front of the tests so as to block Spencer's vision. The brunette nodded, albeit reluctantly, and braced herself for the worst. "Alright, we have..." She paused, counting the results. "Four positives and one that could go either way." The room was silent for a moment. Spencer looked as if she'd seen a ghost, and Hanna was relying on her reaction to react herself. "Are you okay?" The blonde finally asked, concerned as ever. "I'm not sure," Spencer responded, leaning against the wall, suddenly unable to stand on her own. "I mean... There's always—" The taller female shook her head, not wanting to talk about this anymore. "I should get back to studying." Hanna wanted to stop her, but she couldn't. She knew what this felt like; she went through the same thing not too long ago, mixed feelings and all. The most she could do at this point was offer her support and hope for the best, whatever the best was. "I'll walk you out," she finally said, exiting the bathroom, but pausing outside of the door until Spencer decided to follow. "Call me when you get home, alright? Or if you need anything. Call me if you need something too." Spencer nodded weakly, grabbing her keys and jacket from the living room on her way out the door.

"I'm here for you, alright?" Spencer nodded again and headed to her car. Hanna waited on the patio until she could no longer see her friend's car, and then went back into the house. A huge yawn escaped her lips immediately afterwards. She wasn't surprised; that was an emotionally strenuous activity, and she wasn't running on much sleep to begin with. It would have been weird for her not to be tired. The blonde quickly made her way up to the master bedroom and collapsed onto the mattress, eyes shutting as soon as her head hit the pillow. She was so far out that she didn't hear Caleb's car pull into the driveway, or the front door open and close, or him calling her name when he entered their bedroom, and she certainly didn't notice him standing over her with five positive pregnancy tests in hand.

* * *

 _ **Author's note:** I hope you guys didn't miss me too much! As you can see, I didn't exactly pick up where I left off (but a four month time skip isn't all that bad). I have the Rivers family reunion saved in another document, but I haven't had the muse to complete it (it was originally intended to be a part of the last chapter, if that tells you anything), so you'll most likely be seeing it as a flashback in a later chapter. As always, let me know what you thought of this chapter, and if you have any ideas for future chapters. I love reading your reviews! _


	15. Chapter 15

The male leaned over her body to catch a glimpse of her face, a grin spreading across his face when he did: the way the sun reflected against her golden hair, the way that golden hair framed her face perfectly, and peaceful expression on her face were all so beautiful to him. She was still asleep, of course. She was only an early-riser when she needed to be. However, Blake was with her parents for the weekend, and there was no other reason for her to be awake at this hour, so she wasn't.

The male pressed a kiss to her cheek, and then got up to go brush his teeth. However, his walk to the bathroom was interrupted by a very groggy-sounding voice. "I want another one." He turned around, eyebrow cocked. "What?"

She sat up and stretched, before throwing the covers off of herself and walking over to meet him. "I want another one," she replied, wrapping her arms around his waist. "You can't just give me a kiss and walk away," she told him, matter-of-factly.

His eyebrows returned to their usual positioning, and he leaned down to press a second kiss to her forehead, and then a third to her lips. "How 'bout that?" he asked, pulling away briefly, and then peppering her neck with kisses. "No, I still need more," she told him, stifling a moan.

He chuckled, continuing his trail of kisses down her neck and along her shoulder. "Now?" She hesitated, but she was sure they both knew what she was going to say. "More." He pulled away to see his fiancee, with an incredibly coy smile on her face, waiting to see what his next move would be. "I see," he said simply. "Well, let's see how you like this." Without another word, he grabbed her and threw her over his shoulders, throwing her down on the bed when he was close enough, and climbing on top of her.

Her fingers interlocked with his hair and her legs wrapped around his lower torso, and he closed the gap between them once again. "Caleb," she began, breaking the kiss for a moment. "More, got it," Caleb interrupted, starting to fidget with her underwear. "No. I mean yes," she stammered, releasing his hair and allowing her legs to fall back onto the bed. "What?" For someone who was usually easy to read, she was being rather cryptic. "Nothing," she replied, getting up and heading to the bathroom.

"Han, if this is about the tests," he began, getting up and following her. Hanna stopped cold in her tracks. "Tests?" she asked, turning around to face him. "The ones downstairs. The positive ones." Her face seemed to lighten up a bit when she realized what he was talking about. "Oh, those tests. Don't worry about them," she replied, continuing towards the bathroom.

He continued to follow her. "Don't worry about them? Hanna, if we're having another kid, don't you think I should know?" He thought he was asking a serious question, but all he received in response was her laughter.

"Caleb," she replied, turning around again. She wanted to tell him that the tests weren't hers, but she didn't want to tell Spencer's news for her. That was the kind of thing that ruined friendships, and her friendship with Spencer was one that she didn't want ruined. "That's not the more I was talking about," she said simply, turning away from him.

He walked around to her other side, so that they were facing each other again. "Then what was the more you were talking about?" She was silent for a moment. "This," she replied, pulling her underwear down to her ankles and kicking it aside, and then pulling her t-shirt over her head and tossing that aside as well. "In there," she told him, gesturing towards the bathroom. "With you and the jets on blast."

Caleb liked that idea. "Say no more," he replied, beginning to strip down as well, allowing her to step past him to enter the bathroom. He hadn't forgotten about the tests, but somehow, this seemed much more important.

* * *

By the time he got to the bathroom, Hanna was already in the water, her good parts concealed by the bubbles she added. That didn't do much to kill his mood though. He entered the water, and without further hesitation, pulled her on top of him so that she could ease onto him. She leaned forward to press a kiss to his lips, her hands gently cupping his cheeks as her hips made fluid motions in the water, and eventually moving down to his shoulders so that she could keep her balance. His hands were wrapped around her waist.

They finished and she dismounted, burying herself in the bubbles once again. He rested his head against the tiled walls, closing his eyes for a moment so savor this bliss. Hanna did so as well, letting out a satisfied sigh as she rested against her end of the bathtub. It was quiet for a moment, which was pretty rare in the Marin-Rivers household, now that they had an infant to tend to.

"You know what would be great right now?" she asked, sitting up a bit. "Round two?" She shook her head, gripping the side of the tub so that she could climb out. "Pizza." He tilted his head confusedly, eyes following her as she climbed out of the tub and grabbed a towel. He couldn't spot a bump just yet, but then again, if she had just recently taken a test, she couldn't have been that far along. "What?" she asked, wrapping the towel around herself and grabbing another one to dry her hair with. "Nothing," he replied, removing the plug from the drain, and then climbing out of the tub to go dry off. "I'm just admiring my fiancee."

"When are you gonna make me your wife?" she asked, tucking the top edge of her towel into the part that was wrapped around herself, so that she could move more freely. "Whenever you're ready to be my wife," he replied, wrapping his arms around her waist and leaning down to kiss her. "Valentines Day is coming up," she mentioned, pulling away briefly, before sealing the gap again with a kiss. "February fourteenth would make a great anniversary."

"That's less than two weeks away, Han. We can't plan a wedding that quickly." She pulled away again, pouting this time. "You think so?" she asked. Caleb shrugged, walking over to the sink and turning the faucet on so that he could brush his teeth. "I'm not saying it can't be done, but it's a lot, Han. Why don't we give it an extra month?" Hanna sighed, grabbing her toothbrush and wetting it under the running faucet. "March fourteenth... I guess that's not the worst day," she replied.

The bathroom was quiet for a moment, with the exception of the sound of running water and toothbrushes cleaning teeth. "Can we handle it?" he asked, spitting into the sink and rinsing his toothbrush. "I think so," she replied, spitting her own mouthful of toothpaste lather into the sink, and then reaching for the mouthwash to pour herself a cup. "And it would make it a lot easier for your mom to be here." Caleb liked that thought. Now that he was sure his mother actually wanted to be in his life, he wanted her to be able to attend everything.

"So March fourteenth... Alright." He leaned down to kiss her again, but the sound of a ringing phone interrupted them both. "Mine," she whispered, quickly pecking his cheek before running into the bedroom to answer her phone.

He followed behind her, but headed towards the dresser instead, looking for clothes to replace his towel with. He wasn't completely listening to her conversation, but he did manage to catch a few phrases, namely, "No, I haven't told him yet," and, "Yeah, I know. He asked me about them this morning." He turned around to face her, but she was too wrapped up in the conversation to notice. "Yeah, I know Blake would love to have a friend around." That's what Caleb was waiting to hear. This entire phone call, or at least Hanna's end of it, was giving credibility to his theory. She was finally admitting it.

"I love this baby already." She glanced over at Caleb, who was staring back at her, looking as if he wanted an explanation for her responses. She turned back towards the wall again, as if that would privatize her call at all, and told the person on the other end that she would call them back. "How much of that did you hear?" she asked, adjusting her towel so that it fit her better. "Most of it," he replied, pulling a black t-shirt over his head. "Do you want to talk about this _now_?"

She shook her head. She couldn't tell without Spencer's permission, no matter how much she wanted to get this off her chest and discuss it with someone. "No," she replied simply, moving towards her set of drawers to grab some underwear. "Han, don't do this."

"Do what?" she asked, barely turning to look at him, more concerned with covering her body than talking to him about her phone call. "Shut down on me. You did this with Blake, and you saw how badly that turned out." His first thought (and the thought that he was sticking to) was that Hanna was lying to the person over the phone, and that she really wasn't excited. It made sense. She wasn't excited for their first child until several months into the pregnancy. Hanna shuddered, thinking back to their trip to Rosewood for Christmas, and the night Caleb spent in the hospital, and how guilty she felt for holding out on him.

But this wasn't that. She wasn't pregnant, and she wasn't holding out on him. She was just trying to be a good friend.

"This isn't that," she replied, finally finding a good pair of panties and sliding them on. "This is completely different than that."

The male pulled a pair of sweatpants on, and then turned back to the drawers to find a pair of socks. " _Right_ ," he replied simply. "It's true!" It was true, but she was going to have a hard time convincing him of that if she couldn't tell him what was true.

He looked at her for a moment, and then shook his head. "So what is it then?" She opened her mouth to respond, but closed it again when a good answer failed to come out. "I can't tell you," she replied, dropping her towel on the floor as she started to search for additional clothing. "Hanna, am I going to be a father again or not?"

There was silence for a moment, until finally, Hanna shook her head. "No, no you're not," she replied, wrapping her arms around herself, cold from exposure to the cool air in the bedroom. "So we're not keeping it?" She shook her head. "There's no it to keep. Those tests weren't mine."

An even more confused look spread across his face. _What did she mean?_ "Then whose were they?" She shook her head, not wanting to disclose any more. "A friend who told me not to tell you yet, alright? Please don't question this."

He sighed defeatedly. Even though he wasn't convinced, he knew how stubborn his fiancee could be. She would tell him in her own time, whenever that was. "Fine," he replied, slipping his socks onto his feet, and walking over to her. "Cheese or pepperoni?" he asked, casually looking her up and down. Her body was obviously different than it was a year ago, but he couldn't stop admiring it. She was so beautiful.

"Pepperoni," she replied, stepping into a pair of shorts, and then turning towards the mirror to fix herself up. "I think I'll leave the shirt off. We're not expecting anyone anyway," she replied, turning from side to side, examining herself from all angles.

Caleb nodded, not removing his eyes from her frame for one moment. "I guess we're not."

* * *

 _ **Author's note:** I have a really bad habit of disappearing and then coming back months later with a slightly disconnected chapter, and I'm trying to work on that, but if you still read this thank you so much for sticking with me! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It doesn't have much content, but I figured Haleb could use some time to be themselves without Blake for a bit. I'll be exploring Hanna's desire for a job, the Rivers family reunion, Spencer's pregnancy arc, and Haleb's misunderstanding in the next few chapters, and I'm hoping if I start writing now, I'll be on track for Valentine's Day and their wedding. Fingers crossed. As always, let me know what you think!_


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